TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE REGIONS

Congestion Charging (London)

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what studies his Department has conducted into the effects on the environment of the London area of the proposed introduction of congestion charging by the GLA.

John Spellar: holding answer 4 March 2002
	The Government commissioned and published early in 2000 a report by an independent group of experts called Road Charging Options for London—A Technical Assessment (known as the ROCOL report). Copies are available in the library. The report covers environmental effects. It says that there could be environmental and amenity benefits from the reduced traffic volumes but much would depend on the how the benefits of reduced traffic were allocated. Emissions of CO 2 would be reduced, but there would be no significant improvement in local air quality.

Rail Investment

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what proportion of the private sector rail investment in the 10 year plan is expected ultimately to be on the balance sheet of Railtrack's successor.

David Jamieson: This will be determined through the SRA's development of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) and through negotiations with Network Rail and other possible bidders for Railtrack Plc on their proposed Business and Financing plans.

Housing (South-east)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what proportion of the Government's total targets for new housing in the south-east has been provided for in the strategic plans of local authorities; and what proportion remains to be allocated provisional sites.

Sally Keeble: Regional Planning Guidance for the South East (RPG9), issued in March 2001, sets out the level of housing provision to be made in the region. Housing provision in existing strategic plans—namely county structure plans—is broadly in line with guidance in RPG9 for the Government Office South East area, although usually only for the period up to 2011 and in some cases only up to 2006. Some County Councils have started the process of reviewing their structure plans. At the same time, about a third of all local plans have already expired and half are due to expire by 2006. District authorities need to update their local plans in order to allocate sufficient land for housing.

Housing Transfers

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the cost is to the Department of writing off the over-hanging debt for local authorities transferring their housing stock to RSLs in (a) the current year and (b) each of the past five years; and what the projected cost is in (i) 2002–03 and (ii) 2003–04.

Sally Keeble: holding answer 26 March 2002
	The overhanging debt payments made to date are £21 million in 1999–2000 and £256 million in 2000–01. No payments were made in 2001–02. The projected costs are £500 million in 2002–03 and £800 million in 2003–04. These are estimates and are likely to change as details of transfer proposals are finalised.

Brownfield Developments

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how close the house-building industry is to meeting the Government's target of brownfield site development.

Sally Keeble: The Government's target is that by 2008, 60 per cent of additional housing should be provided on previously developed land and through conversions of existing buildings. The latest statistics (for 2000) show that achievement against target is 57 per cent.

Finance (Liverpool)

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much funding he has made available for social services and community care in Liverpool through (a) the local authority, (b) the Health Service and (c) the voluntary sector in each of the last five years; and what funding he has indicated will be made available in 2002–03.

Jacqui Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The table provides details of funding which the Department has made available for social services and community care to Liverpool Health Authority and Liverpool City Council, in each of the last five years and for 2002–03.
	
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
			  £000s £000s £000s £000s £000s £000s 
		
		
			 Liverpool Health Authority(1) 243,040 253,814 350,296 379,504 410,236 453,913 
			 Liverpool City Council 5,262 7,005 8,098 8,698 12,882 25,417 
		
	
	Note:
	(1)1999–2000 was the first year of unified allocations covering hospital and community health services, prescribing and general practitioner infrastructure. Therefore they are not comparable to earlier years' allocations.
	The section 64 general scheme of grants is the Department's main avenue of support for national voluntary organisations in England. Grants are not awarded on a geographical or regional basis.

Children's Homes

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many local authority children's homes there were in (a) 1990, (b) 1995 and (c) on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	Information for the years ending 31 March 1995 and 31 March 2000, latest information available, is shown in the table. Information for 1990 is not available.
	
		Table: Number of local authority children's homes for the years ending 31 March 1995 and 2000 England
		
			 Type of LA home 1995 2000 
		
		
			 Maintained 741 672 
			 Controlled 28 28 
			 Assisted 30 21 
			 Total Community Homes 799 721

HOME DEPARTMENT

Smallpox

Robert Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance has been issued to law enforcement agencies in the event of a large-scale smallpox outbreak.

John Denham: holding answer 5 February 2002
	I apologise for the delay in replying. Smallpox has been eradicated world-wide and no specific guidance has been issued to law enforcement agencies. Guidance on smallpox, accessible both to public and professionals is available from the Public Health Laboratory Service.
	A major outbreak of non-terrorist origin would be co-ordinated at the national level through the Civil Contingencies Committee; a terrorist incident would be handled through Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBR).

Secondments (Energy Industry)

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff were seconded between (a) BP, (b) Shell, (c) Enron, (d) Exxon-Mobil, (e) Conoco, (f) Texaco and (g) TotalFinaElf and his Department in (i) 1999–2000, (ii) 2000–01 and (iii) April 2001 to the latest date for which figures are available.

Angela Eagle: No staff were seconded between the Home Department and the companies identified for the periods in question.

Animal Experiments

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has to improve the care standards for non-human primates in the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Used in Scientific Puposes; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 10 April 2002
	Standards for the housing and care of laboratory animals, including non-human primates, are currently the subject of review under the auspices of the Council of Europe. This work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2002. We will review the relevant codes of practice applicable in the United Kingdom in the light of the outcome of the Council of Europe review and any consequential changes to European directive 86/609/EEC.

Animal Experiments

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many breeding establishments in Mauritius are authorised as sources of non-human primates under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 10 April 2002
	There is currently authority for non-human primates from one breeding establishment in Mauritius to be used in programmes of work licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

Prisoner Escapes

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the target for the rate of escapes from contracted-out escorts expressed as a ratio of prisoners handled was met by March 2001.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The Prison Service met this key performance indicator target in the 2000–01 year. There was one escape for every 21,649 prisoners handled during the year. This was better than the target not to exceed one per 20,000 prisoners handled.

Nationality Applications

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many nationality applications were completed in the year to March 2001; and how many he expects to be completed in the year to March 2002.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 10 April 2002
	In the year to March 2001 94,090 nationality applications were completed, exceeding the target of 91,000.
	The target for the year to March 2002 remained at 91,000 and indications are that the target will again be exceeded and the final total will be higher than that achieved in the year to March 2001.

Drug Misusing Offenders

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the PSA target of a reduction in the level of reoffending by drug misusing offenders (a) was met by March 2001 and (b) has since been exceeded.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The Public Service Agreement target currently is: to reduce levels of repeat offending amongst drug misusing offenders by 25 per cent by 2005 (and by 50 per cent by 2008). There is no interim target set for 2001.
	We are currently reviewing the drugs strategy targets and progress against them to ensure we still have the right balance and focus.

Asylum Seekers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of decisions on asylum cases will have been made within two months in the year ending 31 March.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The target for the year ending 31 March 2002 is to decide and serve 60 per cent of new substantive asylum claims made in that same year within two months. The latest provisional data, published on 28 February 2002, indicate that nearly half (48 per cent) of applications received in the period April to September 2001 inclusive had initial decisions served within two months. Information on the percentage of asylum cases in the year ending 31 March 2002 with decisions made and served within two months is not yet available.
	The data are published in the quarterly asylum statistics. The next publication will be available from 31 May 2002 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/ immigration1.html.

Asylum Seekers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers were removed in the year to March 2001; and how many he expects to be removed in the year to March 2002.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The number of failed asylum seekers removed in the year to March 2001 was 8,930. The current Service Delivery Agreement target relating to the removal of failed asylum seekers from the United Kingdom is to remove 30,000 in 2001–02; 33,000 in 2002–03; and 37,000 in 2003–04. The totals include dependants.
	The precise number removed in March will be available in about two months.
	The 30,000 target for this year has always been ambitious and high risk. To enable us to reach and exceed 30,000 removals per year by 2003, we need to remove about 2,500 people per month. It is our aim to achieve this monthly total as soon as possible.

Asylum Seekers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum decisions were made in the year to March 2001; and how many he expects to be made in the year to March 2002.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 10 April 2002
	132,840 initial decisions were made in the period 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001, inclusive.
	Information on the number of initial decisions made in the year to 31 March 2002 is not yet available. However, in line with plans, the number of cases awaiting an initial decision has continued to fall, 71,320 initial decisions were made during the period April 2001 to December 2001, compared with 85,960 in the same period a year previously.
	Information on initial decisions is published quarterly. The next publication will cover the period up to March 2002, and will be available from 31 May 2002 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/ immigration1.html.

Asylum Seekers

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the impact on the policy of detaining children who are seeking asylum of the (a) provisions of the Children Act 1989 and (b) provisions of the Human Rights Act 1998;
	(2)  what risk assessments are undertaken before a child seeking asylum is detained;
	(3)  whether the rights and needs of the child must be considered before any decision to detain a child seeking asylum is taken.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The Children Act 1989 places a duty on local social services departments to provide for unaccompanied asylum seeking children. As a matter of policy and practice all those accepted as being unaccompanied asylum seeking children are referred to the local social services department. Unaccompanied asylum seeking children are not routinely detained under immigration powers. But detention may occasionally be necessary in exceptional circumstances whilst alternative arrangements for their care are made. Where detention is in such circumstances necessary, this is normally limited to overnight, with appropriate care.
	The decision to detain a family is always taken with due regard to Article 8 of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
	Families may be detained at the Oakington Reception Centre whilst their claim for asylum is processed. In other cases a family would be detained in line with the general detention criteria, which include consideration of the likelihood of removal, evidence of previous absconding and previous history of complying with the requirements of immigration control. There is however, as in any other case, a presumption in favour of granting temporary admission or temporary release.
	Any case where it is proposed to detain a family will be risk-assessed by the Immigration Service. Checks are made to see if any child is on the "At Risk" register. In addition the family protection team at the local police station will be contacted. If there has been any involvement by the Social Services in any particular family case, they will also be consulted before an operation leading to the detention of children is undertaken.

Criminal Justice

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) financial and (b) other criteria are to be used for measurement of the PSA target on efficiency in the criminal justice system.

Keith Bradley: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The 2000 Criminal Justice System Public Service Agreement (PSA) committed the criminal justice departments in defining a measure for value for money (rather than efficiency) in the system. Work is continuing on this, but it has not yet proved possible to devise a satisfactory single measure of system-wide performance. Meanwhile, however, each component part of the system has an efficiency or value for money target, and has plans in place to meet its target.

Immigration (Detainees)

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people detained under immigration law have died in each of the past five years; and of those how many are believed to have committed suicide.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 10 April 2002
	There was one incident of a death in immigration detention in the last five years. The incident occurred in January 2000 and is believed to have been a suicide although the inquest returned an open verdict.

Correspondence

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department will reply to the letter dated 18 September 2001 from the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell relating to an inquiry by Mr. C Barfield of 2 Cuddington Avenue, Worcester Park, Surrey.

Angela Eagle: A reply to the hon. Member was sent on 27 March 2002.

Prison Officers

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison officers there were in each year since 1997; and how many retired due to long-term illness.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The information is provided in the table.
	
		
			  Officers in Post 31 March Ill Health Retirements per Calendar Year 
		
		
			 1997 23,058 451 
			 1998 23,444 220 
			 1999 23,875 199 
			 2000 24,090 165 
			 2001 23,777 152 
			 2002 (to 25/03/02) 23,067 18 
		
	
	Figures include prison officers, senior officers and principal officers.

Illegal Immigrants

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what extra security measures his Department has taken at Shoreham Port to help combat entry by illegal immigrants;
	(2)  how many illegal immigrants have been caught trying to enter this country at Shoreham Port, listed by country of origin; and how many of these have claimed political asylum since 1997.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 10 April 2002
	It is not possible to provide statistics for the total number of illegal entrants detected having entered the United Kingdom via Shoreham seaport. This is because illegal entrants are frequently detected inland and will not identify, or cannot be attributed to, any particular port of entry.
	Shoreham seaport does not receive any passenger vessels and so has no permanent immigration presence. However, for the purposes of immigration control the port is covered by Immigration Service staff based at Newhaven who may be deployed there should a need be identified. Remote coverage is also provided by officers from Her Majesty's Customs and Excise and Sussex Police, Special Branch.
	The Immigration Service views very seriously any potential breach of immigration controls, as well as the risks that migrants take by seeking to enter the United Kingdom clandestinely. Whilst there is currently no evidence to suggest that Shoreham seaport is being targeted for such activity, should such information be received, it would be passed to the District Intelligence Unit at Gatwick. They would assess the risk and ensure that appropriate measures were taken to combat any threat to the integrity of the immigration control.

Parliamentary Questions

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to improve the response time to parliamentary questions.

David Blunkett: holding answer 9 April 2002
	In its response to the Public Administration Select Committee's Second Report of Session 2000–2001 on Ministerial Accountability and Parliamentary Questions, the Government made clear their commitment to providing prompt and accurate answers to Parliamentary Questions. This continues to be the Government's position. I am committed to improving the performance of the Home Office and am working with the Department on practical steps to achieve this.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

PSA Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what new initiatives her Department has taken in 2001–02 to assist in achieving its Public Service Agreement targets.

Kim Howells: holding answer 10 April 2002
	Details of new initiatives and policies designed to assist in achieving the Public Service Agreement targets for 1999–2002 were set out in my previous parliamentary answers to the hon. Member for Buckingham on 19 December (Official Report, columns 310–15W), 8 January (Official Report, columns 543–45W), and 10 January (Official Report, columns 971–72W).
	The main initiatives undertaken to help achieve the Public Service Agreement targets for 2001–2004 are as follows: the setting-up of Creative Partnerships in 16 deprived areas; the introduction of the School Sports Co-ordinator and Spaces for Sport and the Arts programmes; and the introduction of free access for all to national museums and galleries on 1 December 2001.

Digital Television

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the level of take up of digital television services has been from 1998 to the date for which the most recent figures are available.

Kim Howells: These are the figures from December 1998 to December 2001 for digital television uptake, based on subscriber figures supplied by platform operators.
	
		
			 Date per cent TV Households which are digital 
		
		
			 31 December 98 0.9 per cent 
			 31 March 99 2.2 per cent 
			 30 June 99 3.9 per cent 
			 30 September 99 7.0 per cent 
			 31 December 99 11.1 per cent 
			 30 March 00 18.0 per cent 
			 30 June 00 19.4 per cent 
			 30 September 00 22.5 per cent 
			 31 December 00 26.8 per cent 
			 31 March 01 30.0 per cent 
			 30 June 01 32.5 per cent 
			 30 September 01 34.7 per cent 
			 31 December 01 36.6 per cent

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Information

Marion Roe: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will make further information about its work available to hon. Members.

Archy Kirkwood: Pages on the Parliamentary Intranet, accessed through "House Administration" give information about the Commission's role, responsibilities and membership, together with contact details. The pages provide links to the Commission's Annual Reports, and to Questions answered on behalf of the Commission. We have now decided to supplement this with periodic reports on Commission business: subjects considered, decisions taken, and work in progress. The first such report, covering Commission meetings between December 2001 and March 2002, will be posted on the Intranet today.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

SME Industrial Trends

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on SME industrial trends.

Nigel Griffiths: The last year for which figures are available (2000) shows an increase in the number of SME manufacturers.
	Small and Medium Sized Enterprises continue to play an important role in the UK economy accounting for over 99 per cent of businesses, 44 per cent of non-government employment and 37 per cent of turnover. They employ 12 million people and contribute £1 trillion to the economy pa.
	
		Number of SMEs (0–249 employees) by sector UK, number
		
			 Number of businesses 
			 Sector 1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 All 3,701,070 3,651,230 3,670,210 3,715,865 
			 Agriculture, Fishing 220,850 192,825 185,285 190,375 
			 Mining & Energy 5,455 5,705 4,085 3,615 
			 Manufacturing 319,610 329,550 329,535 329,685 
			 Construction 828,810 728,445 683,250 678,215 
			 Wholesale, retail & repairs 525,465 552,765 532,155 535,045 
			 Hotels & Restaurants 148,610 153,065 154,125 157,005 
			 Transport 211,395 210,695 225,315 227,635 
			 Financial intermediation 51,160 65,580 59,115 58,690 
			 Real Estate, business activities 707,785 735,995 799,555 825,160 
			 Education 108,610 100,875 107,785 110,965 
			 Health & social work 217,295 202,690 202,910 206,815 
			 Other services 356,015 373,025 387,090 392,660 
		
	
	Source:
	Small Business Service, SME Statistics in the UK

Company Auditing Policy

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will name the members of the group she has set up to review company auditing policy and practices, together with relevant interests or employment.

Melanie Johnson: My right hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have invited the Economic Secretary, HM Treasury and myself, to lead a co-ordinating group on accounting and audit issues, which will
	ensure that there is a comprehensive work programme, to be undertaken by individual regulators, and avoiding unnecessary overlap;
	provide a progress report by the summer, with a final report at a later stage;
	commission additional work or reviews, if that is judged appropriate;
	reach a view on the adequacy of the proposals, and, if appropriate, make specific recommendations.
	The members of the co-ordinating group are as follows:
	Melanie Johnson MP, Minister for Competition, Consumers & Markets, DTI;
	Ruth Kelly MP, Economic Secretary to the Treasury;
	Sir John Bourn, Comptroller and Auditor General. Chairman, Accountancy Foundation's Review Board;
	Michael Foot, Managing Director, Deposit Takers and Markets Directorate, Financial Services Authority;
	Mary Keegan, Chairman, Accounting Standards Board;
	Professor Ian Percy, formerly Chairman, Accounts Commission for Scotland. Former Deputy Chairman, Auditing Practices Board;
	Rosemary Radcliffe, formerly a member of the Company Law Review Steering Group and Chief Economist, Pricewaterhouse Coopers. Complaints Commissioner, Financial Services Authority.
	The co-ordinating group at its first meeting discussed the work the regulators have in hand to address the key regulatory issues for audit and accounting raised in the wake of the Enron collapse. This focused on audit quality and auditor independence, financial reporting and auditing requirements, and corporate governance, in particular the role of the Audit Committee. The group will ensure that there is a comprehensive and co-ordinated work programme to be taken forward by regulators over the coming months.

Company Auditing Policy

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the group she has set up to review company auditing policy and practices will take evidence from outside Government; which organisations have been asked to give evidence to it; and whether its report will be published.

Melanie Johnson: The purpose of the Group is to ensure that the accounting and audit issues raised following the collapse in the US of Enron are addressed by individual regulators in the UK in a comprehensive and coordinated way.
	At the first meeting of the group, it was agreed to invite comments from outside Government in relation to the group's coordinating role on the issues for audit and accountancy raised by the collapse of Enron. Further details will appear shortly on the DTI website (www.dti.gov.uk/cld). The group will provide a progress report by the summer, with a final report at a later stage. These will be published.

Small Businesses (Administrative Burden)

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress is being made in reducing the administrative burden on small businesses.

Nigel Griffiths: The Government have put in place a number of measures to reduce the administrative burden of regulations on small businesses, including:
	Announced in January 2000 that employers with 4 or fewer employees will be exempt from the requirements to provide access to stakeholder pensions and deduct pension contributions.
	Announced in April 2000 an increase in the statutory audit threshold for companies from £350,000 to £1 million. This measure will relieve up to 150,000 small firms from the burden of statutory audit, saving small companies up to £180 million a year.
	We have exempted small shops from the new EU unit pricing requirements.
	We have exempted employers with twenty or fewer employees from the trade union recognition procedures in the Employment Relations Act.
	Small Business Service has produced clear guidance on a number of complex regulations.
	The Business Link Website is now attracting 80,000 users per month—and businesses can register to receive alerts about regulations automatically.
	A 12 weeks period between regulations being agreed and implemented has been actioned, allowing owner managers time to adapt to the new regulations.
	Assisted and supported 6000 individuals wanting to start and grow a business and helped a further 6000 with mentoring advice.
	The Patrick Carter review of payroll administration.

General Agreement on Trade in Services

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which services the United Kingdom will (a) as part of the European Union and (b) unilaterally be offering for liberalisation under the World Trade Organisation's General Agreement on Trade in Services.

Patricia Hewitt: The United Kingdom negotiates in the World Trade Organisation as part of the European Union. Offers of liberalisation of services will be considered in the light of requests received from other WTO Members. The Doha Ministerial Declaration set June 2002 as the date for the submission of initial requests. The Government will consult on any offer they are minded to make as part of the EU's offer. Liberalisation is, however, a matter of domestic policy choice. The current negotiations under the General Agreement on Trade in Services cannot force liberalisation where we do not wish it.

Unsolicited Faxes

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action her Department recommend people take if they are the target of unsolicited faxes.

Douglas Alexander: There are safeguards for both individual and corporate subscribers who do not wish to receive unsolicited direct marketing faxes. Under the Telecommunications (Data Protection and Privacy) Regulations 1999, no one may send unsolicited direct marketing faxes to individual subscribers without their prior consent. These Regulations are enforced by the Information Commissioner, and any breaches should be reported to her office.
	Corporate subscribers have opt-out rights under the same Regulations; no-one may send unsolicited direct marketing faxes to any subscriber who has registered with the Fax Preference Service, or who has told the direct marketer concerned not to send any further faxes. The Fax Preference Service is also open to individual subscribers who may find it useful to register in order to reinforce their rights. Subscribers should report any breaches of these regulations to the Information Commissioner's Office, or to the Fax Preference Service if they have registered with it.

Television Licences

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the (a) number and (b) total cost of television licences paid for by her Department.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 10 April 2002
	No licence is required for equipment use for official purposes. A detailed answer would involve disproportionate cost.

Digital Services

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the number of subscriptions to (a) digital terrestrial, (b) digital satellite and (c) digital cable television held by her Department for services in any departmental building from which Ministers work, stating for each subscription its (i) cost and (i) purpose.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 10 April 2002
	No data are held centrally and providing an answer would involve disproportionate cost.

Post Offices Capital Scheme

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been paid out each month since its inception under the Start-Up Capital Scheme for Post Offices.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 10 April 2002
	I have been informed by Post Office Limited that to the end of March 2002, applications totalling £375,431 have been approved under the Scheme and that the following amounts have been paid:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 December 2001 13,230 
			 January 2002 11,699 
			 February 2002 10,365 
			 March 2002 43,778 
			 Total £79.072

Employment Relations

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will publish a consultation document on the use of section 23 of the Employment Relations Act 1999 to extend rights contained in employment legislation to individuals of a specified description.

Alan Johnson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 13 February 2002, Official Report, column 443W.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Bereavement Allowance

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Minister for Women what plans she has to make representations to the Department for Work and Pensions to secure a review of the operation and level of payment of bereavement allowance.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 29 January 2002
	I have no plans at present to make representations to the Department for Work and Pensions in order to secure a review of the operation and level of bereavement allowance.

DEFENCE

Gulf War Veterans

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Gulf war veterans have been diagnosed as suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; and how many of those diagnosed have subsequently died.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 12 February 2002
	In the United Kingdom, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is classified as motor neurone disease (MND). As at 22 March 2002, the Ministry of Defence's Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Unit was aware of four of the 53,462 members of the United Kingdom armed forces identified as having deployed to a state in the Gulf region at some time between 1 September 1990 and 30 June 1991 who have been diagnosed as suffering from MND. We do not however hold complete morbidity data for all veterans of the Gulf conflict so it is possible that MND may have been diagnosed in other veterans without our knowledge.
	According to formal notification to my Department by the Office of National Statistics NHS Central Register, and the Register Generals of Gulf veterans whose deaths have been recorded in England, Wales and Scotland, all four of the UK Gulf veterans diagnosed with MND referred to above have died.

Explosives

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many high explosive bombs the RAF purchased in (a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01 and (c) 2001–02.

Lewis Moonie: No high explosive bombs were purchased by the RAF during these years. Although some purchases to support training and development were made during this time, these were not classified as high explosive.

Special Advisers

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many special advisers there were at 10 Downing Street; and what their salaries were in each of the last five years.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 10 April 2002
	Two Special Advisers were in post on 9 April 2002. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 10 April 2002 (Official Report, column 11W) by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister.

Imber

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what expenditure has been incurred on the maintenance of the parish church at Imber for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 10 April 2002
	Although the parish church of St Giles at Imber is the property of Salisbury Diocese, the Ministry of Defence has always voluntarily maintained the building in a wind and weatherproof condition and has incurred the following expenditure in each of the last five years:
	
		
			 Year Amount £ 
		
		
			 1997 Details not available 
			 1998 1,256.49 
			 1999 2,747.15 
			 2000 Nil 
			 2001 158.63 
		
	
	Note:
	Although general administrative costs are not available, the services of an Establishment Works Consultant has been provided at £210.00 per year—an additional £1,050 over the five year period.
	I am, of course, unable to provide details of any expenditure that may have been incurred by Salisbury Diocese.

Imber

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many days in each of the past five years the roads on Imber Ranges and in Imber village have been open to the public.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The metalled roads from Gore Cross to Warminster via Imber, and Heytesbury to Bratton via Imber are open for up to 50 days annually depending on operational training commitments. In each of the last five years these roads were open as follows:
	
		
			 Year Number of Days 
		
		
			 1997 21 
			 1998 23 
			 1999 26 
			 2000 25 
			 2001 24

QinetiQ

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if (a) UK, (b) EU and (c) foreign defence contractors will be considered as strategic partners of QinetiQ.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon Member to the announcement I made in the House on 6 March 2002, (Official Report, columns 313–14W). We have always made it clear that we will not consider any defence manufacturers as strategic partners of QinetiQ, nor any parties which would pose a risk to the defence and security interests of the United Kingdom. However, a large number of organisations which provide a wide range of services to Ministry of Defence could be regarded as defence contractors. As long as they do not fall into either of the two categories above, they will not be excluded from the QinetiQ transaction.

Dimbleby Interview

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a transcript of his interview on the Jonathan Dimbleby programme on 24 March.

Lewis Moonie: The Ministry of Defence does not routinely hold full transcripts of interviews given by Ministers on radio or television programmes. I suggest that the hon. Member approaches LWT if he requires a full transcript of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence's interview on the Jonathan Dimbleby programme broadcast on ITV on 24 March.

Apprentice Training (Aberporth)

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly regarding apprentice training at Aberporth, Ceredigion.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 10 April 2002
	I have had no discussions with the First Minister for Wales about apprentice training at Aberporth. I wrote to him however on 25 March explaining the situation once the decision had been taken. There was no previous correspondence on the issue.

Apprentice Training (Aberporth)

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he met representatives of the Learning and Skills Council for Wales to discuss apprentice training at Aberporth, Ceredigion.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 10 April 2002
	I have had no discussions on apprentice training at Aberporth with representatives of the Learning and Skills Council for Wales.

MOD and Military Police (Retirement)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel have retired from (a) the Military Police and (b) the MoD police in each of the last five years.

Lewis Moonie: Pursuant to the written answer given by my right hon. Friend Adam Ingram of 8 January 2002, (Official Report, column 556W). The number of MOD Police retirements during Financial Year 1999–2000, should read 25, not 24.

NORTHERN IRELAND

New Deal

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been employed by his Department in each of the last three years under (a) the New Deal for Young People, (b) the New Deal for the Over 50s and (c) the New Deal for Lone Parents; and at what cost, listed by category, to public funds.

John Reid: In the last three years the NIO (and its agencies) have employed seven people under the New Deal for Young People, one under the New Deal for Over 50s and no-one under the New Deal for Lone Parents.
	Of the seven employed under the New Deal for Young People six were recruited in 1999 and one in 2000.
	The one person employed under the New deal for Over 50s was recruited in 1999.
	New dealers are recruited to the NIO on a subsidised basis and take up existing vacancies. Therefore extra costs are limited to the subsidy and any additional training and development which may be needed. The cost of the latter cannot be readily identified.

Government Procurement Card

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the procurement transactions were made with the Government procurement card by 31 March 2001.

John Reid: No procurement transactions using the Government Procurement Card were made by the Northern Ireland Office by the 31 March 2001. The Northern Ireland Prison Service has however commenced a pilot scheme since that date.

Terrorism

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many political parties in Northern Ireland have informed him that they (a) support and (b) oppose an amnesty for all terrorist-related offences committed in Northern Ireland before 10 April 1998; and if he will list them;
	(2)  what representations he has received from individuals and organisations in Northern Ireland in support of a general amnesty for all terrorist-related offences before 10 April 1998; and if he will list them.

John Reid: It is not Government practice to make private discussions or submissions a matter of public record. It would of course be open to the hon. Member to seek the views of the political parties in Northern Ireland directly.

Scheduled Offences

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list those people subject to extradition proceedings in connection with scheduled offences committed in Northern Ireland before 10 April 1998; and for what offences extradition is being sought.

John Reid: There are currently no people subject to extradition proceedings in connection with scheduled offences committed in Northern Ireland before 10 April 1998. In addition, the Attorney General informs me that there are currently no people subject to the Backing of Warrants arrangements with the Republic of Ireland in connection with scheduled offences committed in Northern Ireland before 10 April 1998.

Lost/Stolen Property

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list those items valued at less than £50 each which have been stolen or lost from his Department in each of the last four years.

John Reid: As there are no records kept centrally of items valued at less than £50 each, either stolen or lost from the Northern Ireland Office, I could only answer this question at disproportionate cost.

LORD CHANCELLOR

New Deal

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many people have been employed by his Department in each of the last three years under (a) the New Deal for Young People, (b) the New Deal for the Over 50s and (c) the New Deal for Lone Parents; and at what cost, listed by category, to public funds.

Rosie Winterton: The attached table gives the numbers employed by my Department and its agencies under the New Deal Programme for (a) Young People; (b) the Over 50s; and (c) Lone parents.
	New Deal recruits take up existing vacancies so extra costs to public funds are limited to the subsidy, where appropriate, and any additional training and development which may be needed. The cost of the latter cannot be readily identified.
	
		New Deal—Lord Chancellor's Department 
		
			 Year No Employed Scheme 
		
		
			 1999 0 Young People 
			 2000 5 Young People 
			 2001 19 Young People 
			 2001 1 Over 50

New Deal

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many people employed by his Department under the New Deal for Young People in each of the last four years have subsequently (a) found unsubsidised employment for more than 13 weeks and (b) returned to jobseekers' allowance or other benefits.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not held centrally on the number of New Dealers who have found unsubsidised employment for more than 13 weeks or who have returned to jobseekers' allowance or other benefits. However, New Dealers who have left my Department will have acquired skills making them more marketable for employment.

Illegal Agreements

Andy King: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the policy of the Legal Services Commission in supporting actions to enforce illegal agreements; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether it is his Department's policy that the Legal Services Commission should grant funding to individuals seeking to enforce illegal agreements; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) would not grant public funding to an applicant seeking to enforce an agreement that was clearly illegal from the contents of the application for funding. Where the legality of an agreement is the issue, funding could only be granted if the type of case fell within the scope of the Commission's Funding Code and the prospects of the applicant succeeding in the case were sufficient to satisfy the rigorous requirements of the Code.
	Applications for civil legal aid funding are considered under the Commission's Funding Code. The Code sets out the criteria for deciding whether to fund or continue to fund services. The Code has been approved by the Lord Chancellor and by each House of Parliament.

Marriage and Relationship Support

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what organisations his Department supports under its Marriage and Relationship Support programme.

Rosie Winterton: The Marriage and Relationship Support (MARS) Branch of the Lord Chancellor's Department provides primary support to MARS organisations through its annual grant programme. The grant for the financial year 2001–02 was £4.5 million, and for 2002–03 it is £5 million.
	As well as financial support, MARS officials also offer advice, guidance and information to all providers of MARS services, whether funding recipients or not.
	Information on the organisations that have received, or are to receive funding for the financial years April 2001–March 2002 and April 2002–March 2003 and the amounts awarded is in the tables.
	
		
			 Organisations funded April 2001–March 2002 Amount (£000s) 
		
		
			 2as 1 124 
			 Asian Family Counselling Service 51 
			 The Church Of England 45 
			 Family Matters York (Community Family Project) 50 
			 Family Welfare Association 139 
			 Futureway Trust (National Marriage Week) 31 
			 Jewish Marriage Council 78 
			 London Marriage Guidance Council 177 
			 Marriage Care 366 
			 One Plus One 341 
			 Parentline Plus 102 
			 Relate 2,384 
			 Somerset Family Partnership (Community Family) 50 
			 Students Exploring Marriage (Grubb Institute) 4 
			 Tavistock Marital Studies Institute 497 
			 Totnes Family Partnership (Community Family) 10 
		
	
	
		
			 Organisations funded April 2002–March 2003 Amount (£000s) 
		
		
			 2as 1 150 
			 Aquila Care Trust 88 
			 Asian Family Counselling Service 50 
			 BASIC For Life 34 
			 Bristol Community Family Trust 50 
			 Brook in Birmingham 39 
			 Care For the Family 19 
			 CFP Guildford 40 
			 The Cogwheel Trust 4 
			 The Church Of England 54 
			 Family Matters York 50 
			 Family Welfare Association 30 
			 Jewish Marriage Council 84 
			 The Lesbian and Gay Foundation 48 
			 London Marriage Guidance Council 174 
			 Marriage Care 330 
			 The Minster Centre 72 
			 Muslim Women's Helpline 20 
			 One Plus One 327 
			 Parentline Plus 62 
			 Poole Community Family Trust 50 
			 Prisoners Families and Friends Service 12 
			 Project for Advocacy, Counselling and Education 46 
			 Relate 2,206 
			 The Richmond Centre 38 
			 The Salvation Army 40 
			 Somerset Family Partnership 50 
			 Sussex Family Mediation Service 26 
			 Talking Matters 24 
			 Tavistock Marital Studies Institute 414 
			 Totnes Family Partnership 58 
			 University of Exeter, School of Psychology 43 
			 2as1/Relate Partnership Projects 186 
		
	
	All amounts have been rounded to the nearest thousand

Malcolm Robert Ross

Andy King: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department 
	(1)  what sums have been paid out in each of the last 10 financial years to solicitors acting for Mr. Malcolm Robert Ross in litigation related to Mr. Ross's bankruptcy and involving disputes with Stonewood Securities Limited and its shareholders; and what sums have been received back from other parties to the litigation in costs recovery;
	(2)  if he will request a report from the Legal Services Commission on the handling of the request for funding by Mr. Malcolm Robert Ross.

Rosie Winterton: I have requested a report from the Legal Services Commission (LSC). According to their records, Mr. Ross has been granted a number of civil legal aid certificates. These cases relate either to Mr. Ross's bankruptcy or involve disputes with Stonewood Securities Limited. One case has been concluded; the others are ongoing. As all the certificates are material to ongoing litigation, the LSC cannot provide details of payments made to the solicitors in connection with the closed case.
	In respect of the ongoing litigation, the Commission has not yet received final bills from the solicitors involved and so, in any event, is not in a position to provide information about sums paid out. Normally, only when the actions have been concluded and the solicitor's bills assessed would meaningful figures be available on the costs of the proceedings. If the cases are successful, an order for costs in the individual's favour could be made and the Commission reimbursed.
	Most of the certificates predate the implementation of the Access to Justice Act 1999 which significantly reduced the scope for funding cases which arise out of the carrying on of a business.

Public Record Office

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much revenue the Public Record Office has received from pre-payment revenues for the Public Record Office on-line-service; and how much has been refunded.

Rosie Winterton: QinetiQ Ltd has received a total to date of £278,019 from pre-payment vouchers. The refunds requested and paid by the Public Record Office and QinetiQ is £1,287.

Census 1901

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the 1901 Census on-line in-house facilities will be reinstated at designated service centres; and when the full 1901 Census Internet Service will resume.

Rosie Winterton: QinetiQ Ltd. is continuing to work on the technical enhancements. Once configuring of the technical enhancements is complete, rigorous testing will be undertaken on all aspects of the system. These enhancements are intended to make the site sufficiently robust to permit general Internet access, and are being done with a sense of urgency. However, the most important consideration is to ensure that the service is re-launched successfully. The system will again be made available to designated service centres as part of the general re-introduction of the site. General on-line searches will be available as soon as practicable following testing and availability at the service centres.

Child Killings

Joan Walley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps the Government are taking to end child abuse deaths; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: I have been asked to reply. 
	We are committed to reducing the number of deaths of children through abuse and neglect. That is why over the last few years we have introduced new legislation, new guidance, new structures and new policy initiatives to make children safer and to ensure that there is a proper focus on children at the very heart of Government. These measures include:
	The Care Standards Act 2000 to improve the inspection and regulation of children's care services, and the Protection of Children Act 1999 which makes it much more difficult for unsuitable people to work with children;
	Revised core interagency child protection guidance: Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999) and the new Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families (2000);
	New guidance focusing on Safeguarding Children Involved in Prostitution (2000) and a National Plan for Safeguarding Children from Commercial Sexual Exploitation (2001);
	A Minister for Young People, John Denham, and a new Cabinet Committee focusing on Children and Young People's issues;
	The first ever national Children's Rights Director for England— Roger Morgan—to act as a powerful champion for some of the most vulnerable children in our country;
	The establishment of the Children and Young People's Unit, which is responsible for ensuring the coherence of Government policies that affect all children and young people under 19; and
	Radical new initiatives such as the £885 million Quality Protects programme, Sure Start and Connexions.
	In addition, the Department will shortly be publishing the first of a series of biennial overview reports drawing out the key findings of a sample of serious case reviews following child deaths or other cases of serious abuse in recent years. These reports will draw out common themes and trends and their implications for policy and practice. We will disseminate these findings widely to enable practitioners and managers to learn from them. It will be important for professionals to consider how their own practice might be developed or improved as a result of these findings to help prevent avoidable injuries to, and deaths of, children.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Catering Services

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was of (a) in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by his Department in each of the last four years.

Denis MacShane: In-house canteen services are provided by an external contractor. Staff pay for their own refreshments, although the FCO has provided a subsidy to the contractor as follows:
	
		
			 Financial Year Amount Paid 
		
		
			 1997–98 £210,696.31 
			 1998–99 £132,604.26 
			 1999–2000 £99,275.37 
			 2000–01 £200,433.96 
			 2001–02 £179,000.00 (Forecast only) 
		
	
	The information requested on part (b) of the question is not centrally maintained and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Special Advisers

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many special advisers there were in his Department; and what their salaries were in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 10 April 2002
	Two. I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave on 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 11W.

Yasser Arafat

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made since 18 March to the (a) Israeli Government and (b) US Administration about Yasser Arafat's attendance at and return from the forthcoming Arab Summit in Beirut.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 10 April 2002
	In the months leading up to the Arab League Summit in Beirut, we repeatedly called on the Israeli government to release the restrictions on Arafat's freedom of movement. We were also in close contact with our US colleagues who were working to achieve the same goal.

Gibraltar

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the report by the International Monetary Fund on 19 March.

Peter Hain: We welcome the report, which recognises progress that Gibraltar has made in the regulation and supervision of its developing financial services industry.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the legal basis of his claim that the integration of Gibraltar into the UK would contravene the Treaty of Utrecht.

Peter Hain: I did not say that the integration of Gibraltar into the UK would contravene the Treaty of Utrecht. I said that it was not this Government's policy to integrate Gibraltar. I reminded the Committee that the Treaty of Utrecht gave Spain first refusal in the event that Britain ever relinquished sovereignty over Gibraltar; and that the position of Gibraltar was therefore different from that of Ceuta and Melilla.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Refrigerators

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the risk of food being stored in ineffective refrigeration systems because refurbishment has been delayed because of the inability to recycle redundant refrigerators.

Michael Meacher: There is no reason why refurbishment should be delayed. Ineffective refrigeration systems can already be disposed of in the UK via mobile fridge recycling plant or high temperature incineration, they can be exported for recycling in other Member States, or they are stored pending treatment in the UK. There is sufficient capacity in the UK to store waste refrigeration equipment for up to one year. The risk of food being stored in ineffective systems for this reason is therefore negligible.

Waste Disposal

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the proportion of waste sent to landfill which could be converted to biofuel through the anaerobic digestion process; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: We have not carried out such an assessment. Experience has shown that although anaerobic digestion is an appropriate treatment for a wide range of biodegradable wastes there are doubts about its commercial viability.
	The Government support the development of anaerobic digestion through mechanisms such as eligibility for the Renewable Obligation Certificates. The waste management industry is reviewing the role of anaerobic digestion, along with other treatment options, to achieve the reduction in the biodegradable content of MSW sent to landfill as required by the Landfill Directive.
	In these circumstances it is considered to be premature to make a realistic assessment of the quantities of wastes that will be treated by this option.

Waste Disposal

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which Government Departments participated in the waste strategy summit.

Michael Meacher: The Waste Summit was held on 21 November 2001 and was hosted by the Secretary of State. Government officials who attended represented the Departments for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Trade and Industry and Transport, Local Government and the Regions and Her Majesty's Treasury. Other officials represented No. 10's Policy Unit, the Cabinet Office Performance and Innovation Unit and the Devolved Administrations.

EU Directives

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the action she took in response to the formal notice and the reasoned opinion on UK compliance with EU law relating to the (a) Drinking Water Directive, (b) Hazardous Waste Directive, and (c) Waste Framework Directive.

Michael Meacher: Cabinet Office rules require that details of relations between the Commission and Member States on inspection proceedings are confidential. However, I can confirm that the Government is dealing with the points made by the Commission in its letters of formal notice and reasoned opinions addressed to the United Kingdom in relation to the implementation of the three Directives.

Manure

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proposals she has to permit the spreading of organic manure on light to sandy soils in August, September and October under licence under the regulations contained in the Nitrate Vulnerable Zone Directive; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of (a) cover crops and (b) catch crops in reducing nitrate leaching during autumn and winter months.

Michael Meacher: The Action Programme measures required by the Nitrates Directive 1991 which apply in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) detail closed periods prohibiting the application of manures containing a higher proportion of available nitrogen (slurries, poultry manures and liquid digested sewage sludges) on to sandy or shallow soils which are more prone to nitrate leaching. Relaxation of these measures would entail a high risk of increased nitrate leaching so there are no plans to allow exemptions under licence.
	The Action Programme measures take account of information produced by the Government funded research programme on nitrates and experiences gained during operation of the Nitrate Sensitive Areas Scheme. For further information about cover and catch crops please refer to MAFF Booklet PB3578 "The Pilot Nitrate Sensitive Areas Scheme: Final Report" available from DEFRA publications (08459 556000).
	Cover crops and also catch crops, used late in the year, can help to reduce nitrate loss compared with both uncropped land and land sown with autumn sown cereals. This benefit is recognised in the Action Programme measures with the shorter closed period for manure applications for land sown with a cover crop before 1 October and not removed before 1 December of the same year.
	Advice on using cover or catch crops to reduce nitrate leaching in fields that would otherwise be bare over the autumn and winter months is also given in the DEFRA Booklet PB5505 "Guidelines for Farmers in NVZs".

Environmental Impact Assessment

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 28 January, Official Report, columns 92–3W, which FTSE companies reported upon their environmental impacts; which mentioned environmental issues; and which did not submit an environmental response to the Government.

Michael Meacher: Since my answer of 28 January we have been reviewing the response to the Prime Minister's challenge to FTSE350 companies to report on their environmental performance.
	Not all companies have yet published their reports for 2001, but at present we estimate 76 of the top 350 companies have produced a stand alone environmental report, including quantified environmental performance data, or otherwise published this information.
	A further 88 have also taken at least one step towards meeting the Prime Minister's challenge such as publishing an environmental policy or environmental performance targets. We are writing to FTSE350 companies to check our estimates and will make the final tally public as soon as possible.
	A list of FTSE 350 companies with our latest estimates of their respective reporting performance has been made available in the Library of the House.

Water and Industrial Accidents Conventions

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what role her Department has played in discussions relating to the UNECE Water and Industrial Accidents Conventions.

Michael Meacher: These Conventions were adopted in 1992 and the UK is a signatory to both of them. My department has been involved in discussions in the past year on a possible liability protocol under both Conventions in a United Nations Economic Commission for Europe working group.
	The protocol would provide compensation for damage to transboundary waters from accidents covered by the industrial accidents Convention. The aim is for the protocol to be adopted at the conference of European Environment Ministers next year.

Environmental Protocols

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department has taken in response to the LRTAP Protocols on (a) heavy metals, (b) persistent organic pollutants and (c) abatement of acidification, eutrophication and ground level ozone.

Michael Meacher: Since becoming Party to the 1979 Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) the UK has worked at an international level to abate transboundary air pollutants. The UK is preparing to ratify these three Protocols.
	I issued a consultation paper on 20 March 2002 outlining the steps necessary to ratify the 1998 Protocol on Heavy Metals; comments are invited by 12 June 2002. I have arranged for a copy of the consultation paper to be placed in the Library. The consultation paper sets out a draft strategy for the UK to meet its commitments under the Protocol. The main requirements are the reduction of annual emissions to air of cadmium, lead and mercury to below 1990 levels. We already meet these requirements as annual emissions in the UK in 1999 were 30 per cent, or less, of 1990 levels for the three metals. Subject to the results of the consultation exercise, I hope to ratify the Protocol by the end of 2002.
	The Department is also looking at what measures need to be in place for the UK to ratify the 1998 Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants, although the basic obligation to reduce emissions of POPs below their 1990 levels has already been achieved.
	The UK signed the Protocol to abate acidification, eutrophication and ground level ozone (the "Gothenburg Protocol") in December 1999. The main requirement of the Protocol is to reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, volatile organic compounds and ammonia to meet individual national ceilings from 2010. The Protocol covers the same four pollutants as the European Union National Emission Ceilings Directive, adopted last November, and ratification of the Protocol and and implementation of the Directive will be done jointly. I hope to issue a consultation paper later in the year on our proposals. Projections suggest that the UK is on course to meet the emission ceilings from 2010. Subject to consultations I hope that the UK will be able to ratify the Gothenburg Protocol by the end of 2002.

Water Pollution

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of removing pesticide and fertiliser contamination from water in water catchment and other areas that affect drinking water supplies was in (a) areas of standard farming procedures and (b) areas where farming is carried out to Soil Association organic standards in the last year for which figures are available.

Michael Meacher: The Environment Agency, which is responsible for monitoring ground and surface waters for pesticides, does not distinguish between compounds used in conventional and organic farming. Similarly, the costs to water companies of treatment to remove traces of pesticides before water can be put into supply are not quantified and apportioned according to the different farming methods, which may vary within any single water catchment area.

GM Crops

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which EU member states have been notified of the action taken by the National Assembly for Wales under the safeguard clause of the EU Deliberate Release Directive in respect of GM maize being grown in the UK; and when they were informed.

Michael Meacher: The European Commission was informed of the action taken by the Assembly on 13 July 2001, as required under Directive 90/220/EEC. At the same time, copies of the notification were sent to the Permanent Representations of all other Member States.

GM Crops

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the European Commission to respond to the action taken by the National Assembly of Wales under the safeguard clause of the EU Deliberate Release Directive in respect of GM maize being grown in the United Kingdom.

Michael Meacher: It is not known when the Commission will respond.

Biodiversity

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of the biodiversity action plans for species and habitats at risk have been implemented.

Michael Meacher: There are 391 species action plans and 45 habitat action plans. All are being implemented in partnership with a wide range of statutory, voluntary and private sector organisations. A progress report on implementation was made in "Sustaining the variety of life: 5 years of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan", published in March 2001. The report can be viewed on www.ukbap.org.uk.

Water Sports

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will respond to the University of Brighton report on water based sports and recreation.

Alun Michael: The report was published in December, since when a number of discussions have taken place. Recently officials met British Waterways, the Countryside Agency, the Countryside Council for Wales, the Environment Agency and Sport England as the other sponsors of the research along with other interested Government Departments. Last month I met representatives of the British Canoe Union with my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Thomas). In the light of these and other discussions we are considering what action to take in the light of the report's findings.

Countryside and Rights of Way Act

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2002, Official Report, column 1032W, when she expects to publish the consultation paper on the closure or diversion of rights of way.

Alun Michael: I have set high priority on implementing the measures in the CROW Act to enable the closure or diversion of rights of way where this is needed for crime prevention but I also want to make sure that the processes are kept as straightforward as possible. The same applies for the provisions in relation to locations where the safety of school pupils is the issue. With this in mind, I am currently refining our proposals and intend to issue a consultation paper very soon.

CERRIE

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2002 to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith), Official Report, column 372W, on CERRIE, what the terms of reference are for the Consultative Exercise on Radiation Risk from Internal Emitters, including the responsibilities of individual members of the Committee, what reports are to be placed in the public domain from the proceedings of CERRIE; and what guidelines individual members of CERRIE have been given on (a) disclosing proceedings and (b) publishing material subsequently that relate to CERRIE.

Michael Meacher: The Committee Examining Radiation Risks of Internal Emitters (CERRIE) is a working group of the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE). CERRIE has been given the remit
	"To consider the present risk models for radiation and health that apply to exposure to radiation from internal radionuclides in the light of recent studies and any further research that might be needed". CERRIE will prepare a report for COMARE, which will be published. COMARE will then advise Ministers on the need for changes to the existing risk models and for further work. Each of the members of CERRIE has been appointed because of their knowledge and experience of the issues under discussion. They have joint responsibility to evaluate thoroughly the existing evidence and make recommendations, in line with the Committee's remit.
	In order to facilitate the free flow of views during Committee meetings, CERRIE has decided that its work would be best carried out under the "Chatham House Rule". This approach will allow ideas/information raised in meetings to be discussed outside them, but the anonymity of their authors would be retained so that they will not be inhibited from developing and changing their views later on. In order to be transparent about their discussions, CERRIE are preparing their own website which will include, among other things, summary minutes of their meetings. During and after the period of the Committee's deliberations and preparation of its report, members will be free to publish technical papers that they have prepared to inform the Committee, but the views expressed in them should be clearly attributable to the individual and should not imply that they reflect the views of the Committee collectively.

Climate Change

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions the Government will have with the administration in the United States of America regarding the need to ratify the Kyoto protocol on climate change.

Michael Meacher: The UK Government maintain regular contact on climate change with the US Administration, both at ministerial and official levels. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs held discussions on climate change with a range of representatives of the Administration in Washington in December and intends to do so again when she visits Washington in April. Other Government Ministers take every opportunity to raise the issue with our American counterparts.
	The UK Government firmly believes that the Kyoto Protocol remains the best way to take forward international action on climate change and will continue to emphasise this point in discussions with the US Administration.

Environmental Protection

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps her Department has taken to promote the implementation of Principle 10 of the 1992 Rio Declaration;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on action taken by her Department with regards to (a) the Aarhus Convention and (b) the ECE Sofia Guidelines on Access to Environmental Information and Public Participation in Environmental decision-making.

Michael Meacher: Whilst not formally revoked, the ECE Sofia Guidelines are effectively superseded by the Aarhus Convention. The Aarhus Convention is the primary vehicle for the promotion of Principle 10 of the 1992 Rio Declaration. The Government strongly support this Convention and signed the treaty when it opened for signature in 1998.
	The majority of the Convention is already implemented in the UK. This Department is responsible for some of the necessary legislative amendments, in particular to the Environmental Information Regulations 1992. These will be made as soon as possible after the EU draft Directive on Public Access to Environmental Information is adopted to replace Directive 90/313/EEC. The Government intend to ratify the Convention as soon as all of the necessary legal provisions are in place. This date will depend on the legislative timetables of the devolved administrations.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Young People's Services

Phil Hope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how the implementation of the Children and Young People's Unit Core Principles for Government will be evaluated.

John Denham: Departments will be encouraged to develop an evaluation strategy as part of their implementation of the Core Principles over the coming year. The Unit will monitor action across Government, including on evaluation and will publish reports on the progress made. The Unit will be in an excellent position to identify and disseminate: (a) real innovation in how Departments consult and engage with children and young people in the formulation and delivery of their policies, and (b) mainstreaming strategies through which engaging children and young people becomes part of Central Government's wider work in consulting with the public.

School Playing Fields

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school playing fields were sold in (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02; and what acreage this involved.

John Healey: In the financial year April 2000 to March 2001, the Department approved 38 applications to sell areas of school playing field larger than a small sports pitch for the under 10s, that is greater than 2,000m 2 . The total area involved was 540,000m 2 , or about 131 acres. Of this total, 40 acres were at closed or closing school sites.
	In the financial year from April 2001 to date, the Department has approved 18 applications to sell areas larger than a school sports pitch for the under 10s. The total area involved amounts to some 280,000m 2 , or about 69 acres, of which 39 acres are at closed or closing school sites. The Department does not know how many of these approved applications have resulted in actual sales. In all cases, we have ensured that the remaining playing fields would meet the full needs of the schools involved and of other schools in the local area.
	Some of the proceeds from these approved applications are earmarked to provide 13 new sports halls and to improve other sports facilities at schools, such as new all-weather pitches and to bring other, poorly drained, pitches back into use. In other cases, the proceeds are to be used to improve educational facilities—for example, by providing modern, up to date, teaching accommodation, such as science and technology classrooms. In a number of cases, the proceeds are to be used to help build new schools or to enable multi-site schools to consolidate on to one site.

Higher Education Funding

Gerry Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what planned expenditure on higher education was in 1996–97 and each of the subsequent five financial years; and what the total outturn spending on higher education was in each of those years excluding proceeds of tuition fees.

Margaret Hodge: Publicly planned expenditure for higher education in England is set out in the annual Grant letter issued to the Higher Education Funding Council for England. The data set used in calculating the out-turn for public and student contributions to fees differ from that used in calculating publicly planned expenditure on fees. The tuition fee data for planned expenditure are for all students, including students from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, at English HE institutions, while for out-turn the figures are based on students from England at English HE institutions. The two sets of data are not therefore directly comparable. The figures, excluding all planned tuition fee income, are:
	
		
			  Publicly planned expenditure excluding fees(2) Out-turn excluding fees(3) 
		
		
			 1996–97 3646 3678 
			 1997–98 3702 3743 
			 1998–99 3757 3791 
			 1999–2000 4422 4423 
			 2000–2001 4643 4811 
		
	
	(2)Figures reflect Grant Letter announcements and include ear-marked capital, allocations for access and widening participation paid via institutions, HE expenditure for the British Academy and directly funded DfES small programmes. They exclude public and student contributions to tuition fees and funds paid to students for their maintenance support.
	(3)The differences between planned and actual expenditure are explained in part by the different coverage used for tuition fees and by in year adjustments.

School Sixth Forms

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many representations she has received from schools which will lose sixth-form funding as a result of the transition to Learning and Skills Council funding;
	(2)  how many schools have sixth-forms which will receive a lower budget after the transition to Learning and Skills Council funding.

Margaret Hodge: My right hon. Friend has received representations from a number of headteachers, deputy headteachers and chairs of school governors. However, through our Real Terms Guarantee, we are ensuring that no school sixth form can lose compared with its 2000–01 funding levels, provided pupil numbers are maintained. For sixth forms that are reducing in size, the guarantee will be maintained but at a proportionately reduced level.
	The Learning and Skills Council has calculated two figures for each sixth form—its RTG and its LSC formula allocation—and they will receive the higher of these two. The Financing of Maintained School Regulations 2002 have been amended to ensure that sixth forms funded through the LSC formula see some benefit. Schools should gain at least one third of the potential benefit from the LSC's allocations for 2002–03. We intend to amend the regulations further for 2003–04 to ensure that such schools have a minimum two-thirds gain in that year.

Lecturers

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the (a) age profile of university lecturers in engineering departments and (b) likely future teaching capacity of those departments.

Margaret Hodge: The latest provisional data, as collated by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, show the age profile of academic staff in engineering disciplines to be:
	
		
			  
		
		
			 Age: 0:20 21:25 26:30 31:35 36:40 41:45 46:50 51:55 56:60 61:65 66:95 other total 
			 Total: 13 876 2194 2193 2151 1741 1475 1596 1222 688 107 10 14266 
		
	
	Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency's Staff Record 2000–01.
	Higher education institutions are responsible for planning their own future development including academic posts.

Special Advisers

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many special advisers there were in her Department; and what their salaries were in each of the last five years.

Estelle Morris: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The Department has two special advisers in post as at 9 April 2002.
	In relation to special adviser salaries I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 11W).

Departmental Staff

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of the staff of her Department are part-time employees.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 10 April 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office on 10 April.

Faith Schools

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) both primary and secondary schools that select some or all of their pupils on the basis of faith have (i) opened and (ii) closed in each year since 1997, broken down by local education authority.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The information requested is not readily available. I will write to the hon. Member shortly and place a copy of my reply in the Library.

University Funding

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 19 March 2002, Official Report, column 251W, on university funding, if she will list the low participation postcodes which entail additional costs in student recruitment.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 10 April 2002
	This is a matter for the Higher Education Funding Council for England. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive of the Funding Council to reply to the hon. Gentleman's question and to place a copy of his reply in the Commons library.

Higher Education Funding

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what decision has been taken on the future of funding students in higher education; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The Government have announced a review of student finance. We are considering a number of options and no decisions have been made.

Higher Education Entrants

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of each year group between 18 and 30 entered higher education for the first time in 1999–2000.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 10 April 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 18 March, Official Report, cols 114W, which gave the entry rates to higher education for each individual age from 18 to 30.

University Applications

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many university applications there were in England, broken down by (a) local authority area and (b) local government ward in the last year for which figures are available.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The latest available information from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), showing the number of English domiciled applicants to full-time and sandwich undergraduate courses by their area of permanent residence, is shown in the table. UCAS does not hold data on applicants from each local government ward.
	Through the Excellence Challenge, which began in 2001, we are hoping to raise the aspirations and attainment among young people in Excellence in Cities areas and Education Action Zones, to encourage them to enter higher education.
	
		Home Domiciled Applicants to UCAS for entry into HE Courses (Degree & HND combined): and having an Area of Permanent Residence in England 2001 Year of Entry By Area of Permanent Residence (Local Education Authority)
		
			 Applicants Year 
			 Area of Permanent Residence 2001 
		
		
			 Barking 794 
			 Barnet 3,486 
			 Barnsley 1,023 
			 Bath & NE Somerset 1,318 
			 Bedfordshire 2,498 
			 Bexley 1,211 
			 Birmingham 6,945 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 990 
			 Blackpool 759 
			 Bolton 1,661 
			 Bournemouth 1,109 
			 Bracknell Forest 692 
			 Bradford 3,438 
			 Brent 3,132 
			 Brighton & Hove 1,567 
			 Bristol 2,552 
			 Bromley 2,126 
			 Buckinghamshire 3,770 
			 Bury 1,249 
			 Calderdale 1,262 
			 Cambridgeshire 3,592 
			 Camden 1,717 
			 Cheshire 4,882 
			 City of Derby 1,448 
			 City of London 126 
			 Cornwall 3,354 
			 Coventry 1,927 
			 Croydon 2,758 
			 Cumbria 2,735 
			 Darlington 583 
			 Derbyshire 4,045 
			 Devon 4,607 
			 Doncaster 1,398 
			 Dorset 2,500 
			 Dudley 1,659 
			 Durham 2,605 
			 Ealing 3,116 
			 East Riding 1,934 
			 East Sussex 3,141 
			 Enfield 2,439 
			 Essex 7,311 
			 Gateshead 978 
			 Gloucestershire 4,036 
			 Greenwich 1,576 
			 Hackney 1,846 
			 Halton 662 
			 Hammersmith & Fulham 1,287 
			 Hampshire 8,038 
			 Haringey 2,080 
			 Harrow 2,548 
			 Hartlepool 518 
			 Havering 1,125 
			 Herefordshire 1,156 
			 Hertfordshire 7,537 
			 Hillingdon 1,739 
			 Hounslow 2,002 
			 Hull 1,125 
			 Isle of Wight 705 
			 Isles of Scilly 13 
			 Islington 1,411 
			 Kensington & Chelsea 1,328 
			 Kent 8,133 
			 Kingston 1,337 
			 Kirklees 2,681 
			 Knowsley 770 
			 Lambeth 2,430 
			 Lancashire 8,091 
			 Leeds 4,290 
			 Leicester 2,510 
			 Leicestershire 4,130 
			 Lewisham 2,019 
			 Lincolnshire 3,777 
			 Liverpool 2,738 
			 Luton 1,325 
			 Manchester 2,709 
			 Merton 1,519 
			 Middlesbrough 1,048 
			 Milton Keynes 1,271 
			 N Lincolnshire 850 
			 N Somerset 1,201 
			 NE Lincolnshire 822 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 1,967 
			 Newham 2,880 
			 Norfolk 4,068 
			 North Tyneside 1,120 
			 North Yorkshire 4,014 
			 Northamptonshire 4,000 
			 Northumberland 1,910 
			 Nottingham 1,477 
			 Nottinghamshire 4,154 
			 Oldham 1,363 
			 Oxfordshire 4,506 
			 Peterborough 960 
			 Plymouth 1,437 
			 Poole 775 
			 Portsmouth 953 
			 Reading 1,033 
			 Redbridge 2,505 
			 Redcar & Cleveland 828 
			 Richmond 1,529 
			 Rochdale 1,316 
			 Rochester & Gillingham 1,382 
			 Rotherham 1,237 
			 Rutland 289 
			 S Gloucestershire 1,292 
			 Salford 954 
			 Sandwell 1,563 
			 Sefton 2,260 
			 Sheffield 2,753 
			 Shropshire 2,057 
			 Slough 947 
			 Solihull 1,555 
			 Somerset 3,309 
			 South Tyneside 786 
			 Southampton 1,200 
			 Southend on Sea 881 
			 Southwark 2,196 
			 St Helens 1,056 
			 Staffordshire 5,269 
			 Stockport 1,997 
			 Stockton On Tees 1,309 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 1,210 
			 Suffolk 3,841 
			 Sunderland 1,449 
			 Surrey 8,182 
			 Sutton 1,233 
			 Swindon 875 
			 Tameside 980 
			 The Wrekin 882 
			 Thurrock 437 
			 Torbay 714 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,589 
			 Trafford 1,523 
			 Wakefield 1,535 
			 Walsall 1,428 
			 Waltham Forest 1,935 
			 Wandsworth 1,973 
			 Warrington 1,053 
			 Warwickshire 3,452 
			 West Berkshire 1,008 
			 West Sussex 4,814 
			 Westminster 1,463 
			 Wigan 1,490 
			 Wiltshire 3,076 
			 Windsor & Maidenhead 1,058 
			 Wirral 2,214 
			 Wokingham 1,295 
			 Wolverhampton 1,743 
			 Worcestershire 3,613 
			 York 1,335 
			 UK not known 273 
			 Grand Total 329,580

Performance Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of whether the 2001–02 target of 280 secondary subject and 51 primary inspections meeting HM Chief Inspector's standard will be achieved.

Stephen Timms: This is a matter for HM Chief Inspector of Schools. I have therefore asked Mike Tomlinson to write to the hon. Member and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.

Performance Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if the target to develop a target for satisfaction for childcare providers by December 2001 was met on time.

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) and I have asked HM Chief Inspector for Schools, Mike Tomlinson, to write to the hon. Gentleman and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.

Performance Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if the target to develop targets for dealing with complaints from childcare providers by December 2001 was met on time.

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) and I have asked HM Chief Inspector for Schools, Mike Tomlinson, to write to the hon. Gentleman and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.

Performance Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of whether the performance target to establish integrated inspections of childcare and nursery education by April 2003 will be met.

Margaret Hodge: The Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) has developed an inspection framework for combined care and nusery education inspections which is currently being piloted. The pilot will be evaluated by the end of April 2002 and OFSTED are on course to meet the target of 1,200 inspections per year for those providers which are not schools but offer a service that includes both childcare and Government funded nursery education.

Pre-school Education

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how 
	(1)  many three year olds in Lincolnshire are in pre-school education; and how many were in pre-school education in (a) 1997 and (b) 1992;
	(2)  how many three year olds are in pre-school education; and how many were attending pre schools in (a) 1997 and (b) 1992.

Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in the form requested.
	The available information on numbers of free early years education places taken up by three year olds in England and Lincolnshire Local Education Authority area is shown in the table.
	The information was derived from the table published alongside Statistical Bulletin 11/2001 "Provision For Children Under Five Years Of Age in England—January 2001" on the Department's statistical web site www.dfes.gov.uk/statistics/.
	The Department is planning to publish information for January 2002 in May.
	
		Number of free early education places taken up by three year olds England and Lincolnshire Local Education Authority area 1997 and 2001 Position in January each year
		
			   1997   2001  
			  maintained nursery and primary schools(4) other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers(5) total maintained nursery and primary schools(4) other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers(5) total 
		
		
			 England 214,173 0 214,173 226,634 108,815 335,449 
			 Lincolnshire 1,686 0 1,686 1,749 41 1,790 
		
	
	Notes:
	(4)Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year, from the Annual Schools Census.
	(5)Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year, from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.

Undergraduates

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of undergraduates failed to complete a course at a higher education institution, broken down by institution and course title, in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 10 April 2002
	Nationally, the non-completion rate has remained broadly the same at 17–18 per cent since 1991–92. In 2000, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published a table comparing estimates of non-completion rates in member countries. They showed an average of around a third of university students did not complete their course in OECD countries. The UK boasts the second lowest non-completion rate among the OECD countries.
	The available information on non-completion rates is contained in "Performance Indicators in Higher Education in the UK" published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), copies of which are available from the House library. The figures cover full-time first degree courses only, and show, for each individual HE institution in the UK, the proportion of entrants who failed to complete their course. Copies of the HEFCE publication are available for students starting courses in 1996–97, 1997–98 and 1998–99. The next edition, covering students starting courses in 1999–2000, is scheduled for publication in autumn 2002.

Local Education Authority Spending

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what checks are made to ensure that local education authorities do not transfer education funds to non-educational activities.

Stephen Timms: Most of the funding made available to local education authorities by the Government is unhypothecated. In recent years, however, LEAs have been strongly encouraged by the Secretary of State to increase their education budgets annually by an amount at least equal to the increase in their Education Standard Spending Assessments, and the Department monitors the extent to which this target has been achieved. The Education Bill currently before Parliament contains a provision, intended for exceptional use only, empowering my right hon. Friend to set a minimum level for an LEA's schools budget where she considers that the budget proposed by the LEA for a particular year is seriously inadequate.
	Specific and special grants from the Government are subject to appropriate audit arrangements, the nature of which varies from grant to grant.

Education Funding (Essex)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations she has received about the allocation of funds for education made by Essex County Council; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: My right hon. Friend has received one letter from a school in Essex about the decision by Essex County Council not to increase its education budget by as much as the increase in its Education Standard Spending Assessment. Authorities are strongly encouraged to achieve such an increase and the Department publishes annually a table showing which authorities have not done so.

Skills Base (Coastal Towns)

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what analysis has been carried out by the Learning and Skills Council on how the skills base in seaside and coastal towns compares to the national average.

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. I have therefore asked John Harwood, the Council's Chief Executive, to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and to place a copy of his reply in the Library.

Vacant Teaching Posts

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many vacant deputy head teacher posts existed in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools, (c) special schools and (d) all schools, expressed as percentage of the total number of head teachers, for each year since 1997, broken down by local education authority.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Vacant Teaching Posts

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many vacant teacher posts existed in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools, (c) special schools and (d) all schools, expressed as percentage of the total number of teachers, in each year since 1997, broken down by local education authority;
	(2)  how many teacher vacancies in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools, (c) special schools and (d) all schools there were in each year since 1997 (i) expressed as a percentage of all teachers broken down by local education authority and (ii) broken down by health authority.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Child Care

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if the target to set targets for the registration and inspection of childcare providers by December 2001 was met on time.

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) and I have asked HM Chief Inspector for Schools, Mike Tomlinson, to write to the hon. Gentleman and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.

Child Care

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the work of the Early Years Directorate in implementing a national system of regulation of childcare.

Margaret Hodge: The Department receives regular reports about the work of the Early Years Directorate in the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED). We are aware of the good work that has been done to establish a new national system of childcare regulation, and the considerable progress that has been made during the current transitional period. We understand that OFSTED is on target to achieve the inspection of all childcare providers by the end of March 2003.

Child Care

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how the National Register of Childminders and Day Care Providers can be viewed.

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) and I have asked HM Chief Inspector for Schools, Mike Tomlinson, to write to the hon. Gentleman and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.

Nursing Diploma

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many students were recruited into nursing diploma courses in the academic year 2001–02; and what evidence she has collected on the impact of the cost of studying on numbers of nursing students;
	(2)  what plans she has to allow nurses on diploma courses access to student loans;
	(3)  what assessment has been made of the level of debt incurred by nurses on diploma courses;
	(4)  what assessment she has made of the number of nurses on diploma courses who have dependents.

John Hutton: I have been asked to reply
	Consistent with our aim of encouraging wider access to the health professions, a significant (and growing) number of student nurses are mature entrants, single parents and others with dependants.
	Approximately 13 per cent of diploma level nursing and midwifery students receive the additional dependants' allowances available to those who have financial responsibility for dependants (including adult dependants). Other sources of information available to the Department, including a recent survey from the Royal College of Nursing, indicate that up to 35 per cent of nursing and midwifery students have children living with them.
	NHS Bursaries were introduced in recognition of the demands of health professional training and the need to guarantee the supply of staff to the service. The Government are increasing the number of health professional training places at both diploma and degree level, and already during the current academic year 15,000 students have embarked on diploma level nursing and midwifery programmes. The number of individuals applying for these courses is now running at a buoyant level with the number of applicants having more than doubled since the 1997–98 academic year. There are now on average more than two applicants for every training place.
	There are no plans to move diploma level nursing and midwifery students (or any other health professional trainees) to a loan-based system of support.
	The Department does not routinely monitor the level of debt amongst diploma level nursing and midwifery students. These students are not reliant on student loans and instead receive a flat-rate basic maintenance grant with no contribution required from the student's income or their family's. In addition, the NHS meets students' liability for a tuition fee contribution (currently £1,075 a year) in full and without means testing. This package of support is, in many circumstances, more favourable that the loan-based system of support available to most other students.

HEALTH

RSV

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost in the last 12 months of treating infants suffering from RSV infection in terms of (a) hospital stays and (b) intensive care unit stays.

Yvette Cooper: Most children who contract Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) do so by the age of three. In the latest year for which figures are available, 2000–01, there were 182 admissions to NHS hospitals in England for respiratory diseases, with a subsidiary classification of RSV, for children under 4 years. Costs associated with admission vary significantly with severe cases requiring paediatric intensive care, assisted ventilation and specialised interventions. Information on the cost of these admissions is not collected centrally.

Press Officers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many press officers there were in each health authority in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: This information has never been collected centrally.

Celebrations

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements his Department has made to celebrate (a) St Patrick's Day, (b) St Georges's Day, (c) St Andrew's Day, and (d) Her Majesty the Queen's Golden Jubilee; and how his Department celebrated St David's Day.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 11 March 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport gave to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr. Yeo) on 11 February, Official Report, columns 58–59W.
	My Department is represented on the Steering Group on Eligibility Criteria for The Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal. The Medal will be awarded to serving members of the frontline emergency services including the ambulance service in England. No special arrangements have been made to celebrate St Patrick's Day, St George's Day, St Andrew's Day, or St David's Day.

Hospital-acquired Infection

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to improve the prioritisation of resources for dealing with hospital acquired infection in response to the report of the National Audit Office entitled "The Management and Control of Hospital-Acquired Infection in Acute NHS Trusts in England" (HC 230).

Hazel Blears: Since the publication of the National Audit Office report in February 2000 we have made it clear that tackling healthcare associated infection is a high priority. It was recognised in the National Plan implementation programme, published in November 2000, as a core requirement underpinning other priorities. We have made it clear to the National Health Service that trusts and health authorities should put infection control and basic hygiene at the heart of good management and clinical practice with appropriate resources.

Special Advisers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the number and expected cost to his Department of special advisers in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03.

Hazel Blears: There are currently 2 special advisers. 1
	Under the terms of the Ministerial Code, Cabinet Ministers may each appoint up to two Special Advisers. 1
	1 Details of costs for Special Advisers within the individual departments are not given, in order to protect the privacy of the small number of individuals concerned.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the public service agreement targets which have been revised and those which have been introduced since the publication of the 2001 departmental report.

Hazel Blears: The following table sets out revised public service agreement targets since the publication of the Department's 2001 Departmental report.
	
		
			 Old target Revised target Reason 
		
		
			 Our objective is to narrow the health gap in childhood and throughout life between socio-economic groups and between the most deprived areas and the rest of the country. Our objective is to narrow the health gap in childhood and throughout life between socio-economic groups and between the most deprived areas and the rest of the country. The original wording of the Department's PSA target concerning health inequalities stated that "Specific national targets will be developed in consultation with external stakeholders and experts early in 2001." The first two of these specific national targets (concerning infant mortality and life expectancy) were shown in the 2001 departmental report: 
			 Starting with children under one year, by 2010 to reduce by at least 10 per cent the gap in mortality between manual groups and the population as a whole. Starting with children under one year, by 2010 to reduce by at least 10 per cent the gap in mortality between manual groups and the population as a whole. A third specific national target (concerning teenage pregnancy) has now been developed and will be shown in the next departmental report (due Spring 2002). 
			 Starting with health authorities, by 2010 to reduce by at least 10 per cent the gap between the quintile of areas with the lowest life expectancy at birth and the population as a whole. Starting with health authorities, by 2010 to reduce by at least 10 per cent the gap between the quintile of areas with the lowest life expectancy at birth and the population as a whole.  
			  By achieving agreed local conception reduction targets, to reduce the national under 18 conception rate by 15 per cent by 2004 and 50 per cent by 2010, while reducing the level of inequality in rates between the worst fifth of wards and the average by at least a quarter.

Prevention of Admission Scheme

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding allocation was provided to the prevention of admission scheme in the last five years by (a) region and (b) local authority; how many people were assisted as part of the scheme; and how many people were subsequently admitted to hospital after receiving care on the scheme.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 13 March 2002
	The NHS Plan announced an extra £900 million annually by 2003–04 for new intermediate care and related services to promote independence and improve quality of care for older people. Further details are in HSC 2001–01, LAC (2001) 01, published in January 2001 [which is in the Library of the House].
	The NHS funding earmarked for intermediate care which commenced in 2000–01 forms part of unified allocations to health authorities. Unified allocations are based on a weighted capitation formula that determines every health authority's fair share of available resources. The Government's policy is not to hypothecate resources made available to councils unless it is essential to do so. Deployment of resources made available through the Standard Spending Assessment remains a decision for councils to make in the light of local circumstances.
	The results of the survey of NHS intermediate care in England carried out last Summer show that, by the end of this year there will be, compared to the baseline of 1999–2000, around an additional 126,000 people in receipt of intermediate care services. The full results of the survey, giving data by Region and by health authority, are in the Library. Information on the number of people admitted to hospital after receiving intermediate care is not available.

Plasticised Cadavers

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what implications there are for public health arising from the exhibition of plasticised cadavers; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The representatives of Professor von Hagens have been informed that his proposed exhibition would require a licence under the Anatomy Act. Any public health considerations would be addressed when determining whether to grant a licence.

Speech and Language Therapists

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there were for speech and language therapists in each English primary care group trust at the latest date for which figures are available.

John Hutton: Between 1997 and 2001 the number of speech and language therapists employed in the NHS increased by 810 (17 per cent).
	At 31 September 2000 only one of the seventeen Primary Care Trusts (South Peterborough PCT) then existing employed speech and language therapists. The national vacancy rate and information for South Peterborough Primary Care Trust is in the table below.
	
		Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2001 Vacancies by Primary Care Trusts for Qualified speech and language therapists 3 month vacancy rates 2  numbers 1  and staff in post 2  
		
			whole-time equivalent 
			 Organisation code Organisation Name 3 month vacancy rates 3 month vacancies staff in post 
		
		
			  England 4.7 per cent 200 4,070 
			 4LA06 South Peterborough PCT   0.0 per cent 0 15 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Three month vacancies are vacancies as at 31 March 2001 which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents)
	2. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post from the September 2000 non-medical workforce census (whole time equivalent)
	3. At 3 September 2000 Non-medical workforce census, 17 PCTs were in existence, of which only one, 4LA06, had Speech Language Therapy staff. As SIP figures from the census are required for the calculation of vacancy rates, no rates are available for the PCTs formed on 1 October 2000.
	4. Data will be available from the March 2002 Vacancy survey in July 2002.
	5. Numbers are rounded to the nearest ten
	6. Percentages rounded to one decimal place
	Source:
	Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2001
	Department of Health Non Medical Workforce Census

Abortion

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department has taken in response to the audit of abortion services in 1999 by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The audit of abortion services funded by the Department provided valuable baseline data on abortion services prior to the publication of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' (RCOG) Evidence Based Guideline The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion.
	The audit found good awareness of and compliance with the RCOG guidelines available at the time and the report informed the development of the our sexual health and HIV strategy, which was issued for consultation in July 2001. The strategy recommends that services should be developed in line with the Royal College's guidelines ensuring that women meeting the legal requirements for an abortion are referred without delay. In addition, we have set a target in the strategy that from 2005, commissioners should ensure that women who meet the legal requirements have access to an abortion within 3 weeks of their first appointment with their general practioner or other referring doctor.
	An action plan setting out how the strategy will be implemented will be published in the spring. The audit data will help us monitor progress in improving services.

Suicide

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the research commissioned by him in the last five years on (a) suicide, (b) assisted suicide and (c) voluntary euthanasia, with special reference to practice in European jurisdictions.

Hazel Blears: The Department commissioned a research project on suicide in high risk occupational groups, conducted by Professor Keith Hawton and colleagues at the centre for suicide research, University of Oxford. The project was funded over the period 1 December 1993 to 30 June 2000.
	In addition, the Department funds the national confidential inquiry into suicides and homicides by people with mental illness to ensure that everyone involved with mental health services learns and implements lessons from the factors associated with serious incidents. The inquiry, led by Professor Louis Appleby, is crucial to gaining a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding homicides and suicides committed by people with mental illness.
	Safety First, the 5 year report on suicide and homicide by psychiatric patients, builds on Professor Appleby's earlier report "Safer Services" published in 1999. The Department is committed to taking necessary action in response to the findings of the Inquiry. We have already published the national service framework for mental health and national plan which specifically address a number of the recommendations out lined in the earlier report. The key findings and further recommendations outlined in Safety First will be given full consideration and will help to inform the national suicide prevention strategy that we are currently developing.
	In addition, the Department has funded:
	A trial of social work interventions for adolescents who have attempted suicide.
	A pilot study of mental health crisis cards.
	Factors underlying and maintaining nurses' positive therapeutic attitudes to patients with severe personality disorder.
	A study "Does dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) reduce deliberate self-harm in female patients with borderline personality disorder?"
	In addition the NHS funds the following projects:
	Suicides and open verdicts on the Railway Network
	An investigation into recent temporal trends and geographic patterns of suicide.
	Lay understandings of suicide, its aetiology and preventibility: a qualitative analysis of interviews with bereaved relatives.
	A case control study of suicide among persons not known to mental health services.
	The role of primary care in suicide prevention
	Psychosocial characteristics of attempted suicide patients in Oxford
	Evaluation of the effects of legislation about the availability of paracetamol and asprin on suicide and attempted suicide
	A study to determine the psychological distress experienced by parents bereaved by suicide or by other uncertain causes.
	There are currently no directly funded research projects, funded by the Department into assisted suicide or voluntary euthanasia.

Hospital Beds

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital bed places have been created in (a) England and (b) Coventry since 1997.

John Hutton: Annual information on the average daily number of available and occupied beds for England, regional office areas and each NHS trust is on the Department of Health web site www.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity.

NHS Hospitals

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many applications to register parts of NHS hospitals as town or village greens there have been; when these applications were made; how many applications were successful; how many have been refused by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Applications for the registration of land as a town or village green are made to the appropriate registration authority who would advise Department officials, or the National Health Service trust owner if appropriate, about the application. The Department is aware of seven applications made between 1992 and 2000, three of which were refused by the registration authority concerned, two have been successful and two are outstanding.
	These applications are handled by the relevant registration authority. They make the decisions whether they are successful or not.

Care Resources

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what increased resources have been spent in the last year on (a) primary care and (b) secondary care in (i) each English health authority and (ii) England.

John Hutton: The increase in primary care and secondary care expenditure for each English health authority and for England, between 1999–2000 and 2000–2001, is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Health authority 1999–2000 to 2000–2001 
			  Primary Care Secondary Care 
			  £000 £000 
		
		
			 Avon 10,373 66,133 
			 Barking and Havering 4,046 16,495 
			 Barnet 1,486 64,112 
			 Barnsley 3,310 15,551 
			 Bedfordshire 10,040 21,605 
			 Berkshire 6,955 42,842 
			 Bexley and Greenwich 4,679 26,467 
			 Birmingham 13,310 27,665 
			 Bradford 11,746 3,470 
			 Brent and Harrow 5,703 (1,643) 
			 Bromley 2,739 343 
			 Buckinghamshire 11,103 39,563 
			 Bury and Rochdale 3,436 16,530 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees 6,214 32,030 
			 Cambridgeshire 38,678 20,253 
			 Camden and Islington 6,354 79,677 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 10,057 9,701 
			 County Durham and Darlington 7,695 23,001 
			 Coventry 3,584 19,412 
			 Croydon 4,124 61,354 
			 Doncaster 3,534 6,254 
			 Dorset 38,408 133,761 
			 Dudley 2,620 15,027 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 6,245 46,124 
			 East and North Hertfordshire 5,258 26,027 
			 East Kent 10,318 30,717 
			 East Lancashire 6,942 2,904 
			 East London and The City 4,945 30,474 
			 East Riding and Hull 7,481 29,270 
			 East Surrey 4,967 14,626 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove 9,660 (3,788) 
			 Enfield and Haringey 5,897 42,469 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 3,925 20,665 
			 Gloucestershire 5,052 20,214 
			 Herefordshire 2,045 (14,484) 
			 Hillingdon 3,333 (1,282) 
			 Isle of Wight 1,903 8,390 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster 4,585 50,144 
			 Kingston and Richmond 2,762 20,044 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 13,516 37,013 
			 Leeds 10,493 23,345 
			 Leicestershire 10,298 25,906 
			 Lincolnshire 9,784 15,479 
			 Liverpool 12,384 24,234 
			 Manchester 10,455 24,128 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 9,869 (20,754) 
			 Morecambe Bay 2,476 5,758 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside 4,303 1,878 
			 Norfolk 9,103 24,346 
			 North And East Devon 6,273 22,433 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 5,930 39,556 
			 North Cheshire 4,317 9,311 
			 North Cumbria 6,171 14,516 
			 North Derbyshire 5,570 11,458 
			 North Essex 26,404 41,688 
			 North Nottinghamshire 11,597 6,547 
			 North Staffordshire 11,133 17,619 
			 North West Lancashire 7,175 10,488 
			 North Yorkshire 9,090 27,029 
			 Northamptonshire 3,149 24,348 
			 Northumberland (718) 4,965 
			 Nottingham 10,046 33,316 
			 Oxfordshire 8,869 26,430 
			 Portsmouth and South East Hampshire 5,328 30,116 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 4,506 32,521 
			 Rotherham 4,135 9,834 
			 Salford and Trafford 13,418 16,505 
			 Sandwell 2,629 10,899 
			 Sefton 5,041 87,121 
			 Sheffield 5,247 367 
			 Shropshire (1,311) 13,658 
			 Solihull 2,098 8,038 
			 Somerset 6,129 23,294 
			 South and West Devon 8,347 21,196 
			 South Cheshire 6,710 21,620 
			 South Essex 8,743 43,993 
			 South Humber 6,090 (2,047) 
			 South Lancashire 2,391 10,284 
			 South Staffordshire 5,990 21,507 
			 Southampton and South West Hampshire 7,136 23,504 
			 Southern Derbyshire 6,028 20,659 
			 St Helens and Knowsley 6,052 17,754 
			 Stockport 3,262 5,818 
			 Suffolk 7,774 27,844 
			 Sunderland 2,838 24,112 
			 Tees 7,392 20,740 
			 Wakefield 10,303 23,669 
			 Walsall 3,939 3,780 
			 Warwickshire 5,209 17,493 
			 West Hertfordshire 7,156 26,648 
			 West Kent 6,286 (5,853) 
			 West Pennine 5,718 19,536 
			 West Surrey 7,578 9,754 
			 West Sussex 11,687 33,752 
			 Wigan And Bolton 7,899 34,635 
			 Wiltshire 17,347 7,237 
			 Wirral 4,226 11,909 
			 Wolverhampton 5,420 9,488 
			 Worcestershire 7,840 32,900 
			 England total 729,780 2,227,439 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. In many health authorities there are factors which distort the expenditure. These include:
	the health authority acting in a lead capacity to commission healthcare on behalf of other health bodies;
	asset revaluations in NHS Trusts being funded through health authorities;
	some double counting of expenditure between health authorities and primary care trusts within the health authority area; and
	the calculation is not precise as relevant expenditure in primary care trusts is not analysed completely into the purchase of primary and secondary healthcare. Prescribing services expenditure has been added in to primary health care expenditure but there may be other elements of expenditure which cannot be identified which should be incorporated within the answer.
	Expenditure cannot therefore be reliably compared between health authorities.
	Allocations provide a much more reliable measure to identify differences between funding of health authorities.
	2. Source: Health authority audited summarisation forms 1999–2000 and 2000–2001 Primary care trust audited summarisation schedules 2000–2001
	3. Expenditure is taken from health authority and primary care trust summarisation forms which are prepared on a resource basis and therefore differ from cash allocations in the year. The expenditure is the total spent on primary and secondary healthcare by the health authority and by the primary care trusts within each health authority area. The majority of General Dental Services expenditure is not included in the health authority or primary care trust accounts and is separately accounted for by the Dental Practice Board. An element of expenditure on pharmaceutical services is accounted for by the Prescription Pricing Authority and not by health authorities.
	4. Health authorities and primary care trusts should account for their expenditure on a gross basis. This results in an element of double counting where one body acts as the main commissioner and is then reimbursed by other bodies. The effect of this double counting within the answer cannot be identified.
	5. Major increases in expenditure and reductions in individual cases can be explained as follows:
	The increase in Dorset health authority is due to the majority of expenditure being double counted between the health authority and primary care trusts (£38,408,000 primary, £133,761,000 secondary).
	The £87,121,000 increase in secondary care expenditure in Sefton health authority is due mainly to an extra £63million included in its accounts as it was the lead body in the region for mental health secure commissioning in 2000–01.
	The reduction in secondary care in Herefordshire is caused by Herefordshire PCT taking over the commissioning of community health services in 2000–01 from the health authority and netting off the expenditure against income, resulting in a £14,484,000 apparent reduction in 2000–01.
	The apparent decrease in secondary care expenditure in Merton, Sutton & Wandsworth health authority of £20,754,000 is caused by the treatment of asset revaluations in NHS trusts. The reduction is solely a result of accounting practice agreed with their auditors.
	Decreases in secondary care expenditure in Brent and Harrow, East Sussex, Brighton and Hove, Hillingdon, South Humber and West Kent health authorities are also caused by the treatment of asset revaluations in NHS trusts.
	Decreases in primary care expenditure in Northumberland and Shropshire health authorities in principally due to lower drug costs in 2000–01.

Refugee Doctors Steering Group

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been disbursed by the refugee doctors steering group since its establishment; and how much of its funds are still to be disbursed.

John Hutton: The refugee health professionals' steering group has disbursed all £500,000 allocated for the year 2001–2. This has been given to projects targeting all health professionals, not just doctors. The funded projects provide services to help refugee health professionals prepare to take up work in the UK. A further £500,000 has been provided for 2002–03 and bids will be invited in April.

New Status Health Authorities

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role PCTs will play in the new status health authorities.

John Hutton: From 1 April 2002, primary care trusts have taken on the majority of functions previously undertaken by health authorities. Subject to progress with the NHS Reform and Health Care Professions Bill, the new health authorities that were established on 1 April 2002 will be re-designated as strategic health authorities, from around October 2002, with further functions devolved at that stage to primary care trusts.
	The new health authorities have assumed some of the functions previously exercised by NHS Regional Offices. They are responsible for creating a strategic framework for the delivery of the NHS Plan locally; securing annual performance agreements with, and performance managing, local NHS bodies, including primary care trusts and NHS Trusts; and building capacity and supporting performance improvement locally.
	Primary care trusts are responsible for improving the health and well-being of the community, developing primary care, securing the provision of high quality services and integrating health and social care locally. Subject to legislation, primary care trusts will be given new powers and control over resources to shape and secure the provision of services across hospital, community and primary services and from the whole range of possible providers in public, private and voluntary sectors.
	Primary care trusts will also be responsible for the delivery of the public health service at a local level. All primary care trusts will have a Director of Public Health appointed to their Boards who will lead a multi-disciplinary public health team. The style and approach of public health at a primary care trust level will be an operational one with a focus on community engagement and empowering frontline clinicians.

Clinicians (Overspends)

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the level of unnecessary overspends by individual clinicians; and what measures are in place to reduce them.

John Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Social Care Workers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is responsible for outlining the new code of practice for the National Register of Social Care Workers; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The general social care council (GSCC) is required, under section 62 of the Care Standards Act 2000, to publish codes setting down standards of conduct and practice for social care workers and their employers. The GSCC issued draft codes for consultation on 9 January 2002.

General Practitioners

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole-time-equivalent general practitioners per 100,000 population there were in (a) 1997, (b) 1998 and (c) 2001.

John Hutton: The number of whole-time equivalent general practitioners (GPs) excluding GP retainers and GP registrars (the NHS Plan group) per 100,000 population were (a) 53.5 in 1997, (b) 53.5 in 1998, and (c) 53.0 in 2001.
	The total number of whole-time equivalent general practitioners (excluding GP Retainers) per 100,000 population for these years were (a) 56.1 in 1997, (b) 56.3 in 1998, and (c) 56.6 in 2001.

General Practitioners

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average annual increase of whole time equivalent general practitioners was in percentage terms in England in each year since 1996, including the latest year for which figures are available.

John Hutton: holding answer 25 March 2002
	Information is shown in the table, a copy of which is in the Library. Between 1996 and 2001 there was an average annual increase of whole time equivalent general practitioner's (excluding GP Retainers) of 0.6 per cent and an average annual increase of whole time equivalent unrestricted principals and equivalents (UPEs) of 0.3 per cent.

Domiciliary Oxygen Therapy

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish the consultation document on the Review of Domiciliary Oxygen Services.

Hazel Blears: We expect to consider possible options arising from the review of the domiciliary oxygen service shortly.

Domiciliary Oxygen Therapy

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the different forms of domiciliary oxygen therapy available on the NHS drugs tariff for prescription to people who are on longterm oxygen therapy.

Hazel Blears: Long term oxygen therapy should, wherever possible, be provided by an oxygen concentrator installed in the patient's home. Gaseous oxygen in cylinders is also available, but is primarily intended for patients needing intermittent therapy.

Cardiac Services

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals used by the NHS for cardiac services meet the 400 CABGs standard identified by the NSF for coronary heart disease; and if he will list those that do not.

Yvette Cooper: According to Hospital Episode Statistics for 2000–1, 28 National Health Service (NHS) Trusts meet the national service framework standard. One trust, the Royal Free Hampstead Hospitals NHS Trust, has fewer than 400 coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures recorded. However, that trust stopped performing CABGs early in the year. Other trusts do not carry out CABGs.
	Figures for operations carried out by hospitals in the independent sector used by the NHS are not collected centrally at the present time.

Hepatitis B Vaccines

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the criteria to be met for people to receive Hepatitis B vaccines free of charge.

Yvette Cooper: Hepatitis B immunisation is provided free of charge, if in a general practitioner's clinical opinion, the procedure is medically necessary. Some groups typically at risk from infection are health care workers, medical students, injecting drug misusers, haemophiliacs and patients with chronic renal failure.

Criminal Damage

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost has been of criminal damage to his Department's buildings in each of the last four years.

Hazel Blears: The recorded costs of repair to the Department's buildings attributable to criminal damage within the last four financial years are:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 £3,698 
			 1998–99 £5,908 
			 1999–00 £1,650 
			 2000–01 £3,289

Care Homes

David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) residential and (b) nursing care homes and their beds there were in the borough of Bournemouth from 1997 to 2001.

Jacqui Smith: Information on the total number of residential care homes and places in Bournemouth for the years 1997 to 2001 is shown in Table 1. Information on the number of nursing homes and places is collected by health authority only. Figures for Dorset Health Authority are in Table 2.
	
		Table 1: Residential care homes and places Bournemouth at 31 March 1997 to 2001 
		
			  Number 
			 Year 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 Residential:  
			 Homes — 261 211 181 166 
			 Places — 3,339 3,043 2,662 2,520 
		
	
	— Not available
	
		Table 2: Nursing care homes and places Dorset at 31 March 1997 to 2001
		
			  Number 
			 Year 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 Nursing:  
			 Homes 144 124 133 125 117 
			 Places 3,496 3141 3,414 3,126 3,086 
		
	
	— Not available

Care Homes

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish the guidance on the decision to admit someone to a care home; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: It is anticipated that guidance on eligibility criteria for adult social care will be published shortly.

Hospitals (Shropshire)

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice NHS bodies in Shropshire have received about (a) the urgency and (b) the scope of a merger between hospital trusts in the county.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 25 March 2002
	I am not aware that NHS bodies in Shropshire received advice concerning any urgent need to prepare an Expression of Interest document to put before the Secretary of State.
	The full scope of the proposal cannot be determined at this early stage, although all concerned parties are to be engaged whilst preparing the Expression of Interest document.

Hospitals (Shropshire)

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice was sought by or given to NHS bodies in Shropshire about the timing of the launch of its consultation on a prospective expression of interest in the merger of hospital trusts in the county in relation to the abolition of the local health authority and the establishment of primary care trusts.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 25 March 2002
	The Princess Royal Hospital NHS Trust and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital NHS Trust made a decision that preparing the Expression of Interest document should wait until the uncertainty around the future roles of the NHS bodies in Shropshire were resolved to ensure their full involvement in the process.
	I understand that the roles have been made clear, and the new Strategic Health Authority and Primary Care Trusts although physically not in place when the Trusts made their intentions public, had been included in discussions affecting the future of healthcare services within the locality.

Audiologists

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many audiologists are employed in the NHS; and how many vacancies there are.

John Hutton: Workforce and vacancy information collected annually by the Department does not identify audiologists. The Department is working with the professional bodies and National Health Service employers to develop an accurate picture of the entire healthcare scientist workforce.

Hospital Construction

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new hospitals construction started in 2001–02.

John Hutton: The following hospital schemes with a capital value of £10 million or greater began construction in 2001–02.
	
		
			 NHS Trust Capital Cost £m Start on site date Funding method 
		
		
			 Thames Gateway NHS Trust 13.5 May 2001 Public capital 
			 West London Mental Health NHS Trust 14.0 September 2001 Public capital 
			 North Lincolnshire & Goole Hospitals NHS Trust 11.8 January 2002 Public Capital 
			 Barnet Primary Care Trust (Edgware) 23.8 April 2001 Public Capital 
			 Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust 29.7 
			  April 2001 
			  Private Finance 
			 Initiative (PFI) 
			 West Middlesex University University Hospitals NHS Trust 60.0 January 2001 PFI 
			 Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust 137.0 May 2001 PFI 
			 Northumbria Health Care NHS Trust 28.8 April 2001 PFI 
			 (Hexham)
			 Royston Buntingford & Bishop's Stortford PCT 14.7 May 2001 PFI 
			 Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust 12.80 March 2002 PFI 
			 Surrey Hampshire Borders NHS (Farnham) 15.0 October 2001 PFI

Adoption

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many children were placed for adoption by each local authority with (a) a married couple and (b) a single person in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many applications for adoption were made to each local authority by (a) a married couple and (b) a single person in each of the last three years.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	Information on the total number of adoption orders granted to married couples and single people in England in each of the last three years is shown in the table. The figures include domestic, inter-country and stepparent adoptions and adopters assessed through local authorities and voluntary adoption agencies.
	
		
			 Year ending 31 December Total number of adoption orders Number of adoption orders to married couples Number of adoption orders to single  people 
		
		
			 1999 4748 4537 211 
			 2000 4789 4546 243 
			 2001 5047 4745 302 
		
	
	Source:
	The Registrar General for England and Wales at the General Register Office (Office for National Statistics)

Nurses

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of the Key Worker Scheme on recruitment and retention of nursing staff in the South East.

Hazel Blears: The Starter Home Initiative scheme, announced on 6 September 2001, is still in its early stages and will eventually enable around 5,000 nurses and other essential health workers to be assisted in buying homes.
	Information on the number of key workers who have purchased homes in the South East under the Starter Home Initiative during the financial year 2001–2002 will be available towards the end of April 2002.
	It is proposed that the DTLR will conduct an evaluation of the scheme later this year, or early in 2003.

Cancer Plan

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average wait was for urgent GP referral to treatment for (a) children's cancers, (b) testicular cancers, (c) acute leukaemia, (d) breast cancers and (e) all cancers at the latest date for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: We do not currently hold data on waiting times from urgent general practitioner (GP) referral to treatment for all cancer patients. Standards of a maximum wait of one month from diagnosis to first treatment for breast cancer and one month from urgent GP referral to treatment for children's and testicular cancers and acute leukaemia came into effect at the end of December 2001. Central monitoring of these standards began on 1 January 2002 and data will be published on a quarterly basis. Data collection on waiting times to treatment for other tumour types will be introduced as we rollout the Cancer Plan waiting times targets.

Cancer Plan

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made in developing services to improve genetic risk assessment for cancer under the Cancer Plan.

Yvette Cooper: In April 2001, the Secretary of State announced a £30 million package of investment in genetic services pver the next three years. Part of this money has been allocated to boost capacity in counselling and testing genetic services around the regions.
	The National Institute for Clinical Excellent (NICE) are developing a clinical guideline on the classification of risk in, and management of, patients presenting with a familial risk of breast cancer.
	The National Screening Committee (NSC) organised three workshops in autumn 2000 to investigate population genetic screening for colorectal cancer, breast and ovarian cancer and heritable thrombophilia. The outcomes of the workshops and the subsequent advice of the NSC was that at present there was no case for population screening for any of these late onset genetic diseases, however this will be kept under review.
	Work on common datasets is being developed as part of the development of the National Cancer Dataset.

Dentists

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists worked in the UK in 2001; and what was the comparable figure for 1997.

Hazel Blears: The number of NHS dentists working in the UK is shown in the table for 30 September in the years 1997 and 2001 for each NHS dental service.
	These figures are on a headcount basis rather than whole time equivalent (wte) and take no account of part-time working. Dentists working in more than one dental service are included in each service apart from dentists working in both PDS and GDS who are counted in the GDS only.
	Dentists working solely in private dentistry are not covered in these figures.
	
		Number of dentists working at 30 September in 1997 and 2001 United Kingdom 
		
			 30 September General Dental Service 1  Salaried service of GDS Personal Dental Service 2  Community Dental Service Hospital Dental Service Total 
		
		
			 1997  220 
			  20,270   1,850 2,772 25,114 
			 2001  130 467
			  22,220   1,832 3 2,783 3 27,432 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The General Dental Service (GDS) cover principals on a HA list, assistants and vocational dental practitioners.
	2. The Personal Dental Service (PDS) began in October 1998. The data covers dentists working in the PDS who are not working in the GDS.
	3. For Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, September 2000 figures are used.

Dentists

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists in each health authority are practising in the NHS.

Hazel Blears: The number of NHS dentists working in England at 30 September 2001 is shown in the table for each Health Authority for each NHS dental service.
	These figures are on a headcount basis rather than whole time equivalent (wte) and take no account of part-time working. Dentists working in more than one dental service are included in each service apart from dentists working in both PDS and GDS who are counted in the GDS only.
	Dentists working solely in private dentistry are not covered in these figures.
	
		Number of dentists working in the NHS by Health Authority at 30 September 2001 England
		
			 Health Authority General Dental Service 1  Salaried service of GDS Personal Dental Service dentists 2  Community Dental Service dentists 3  Hospital Dental Service dentists 3  Total 3 , 4  
		
		
			 England 18,354 86 467 1,348 2,184 22,439 
			 Avon 441 0 8 40 70 560 
			 Barking & Havering 131 13 0 10 10 160 
			 Barnet, Enfield & Haringey 377 0 1 20 20 420 
			 Barnsley 66 0 1 0 10 70 
			 Bedfordshire 189 6 19 30 20 260 
			 Berkshire 313 0 0 30 20 360 
			 Bexley, Bromley & Greenwich 294 6 5 30 10 340 
			 Birmingham 320 0 24 30 150 520 
			 Bradford 144 0 0 20 20 190 
			 Brent & Harrow 221 0 0 20 20 250 
			 Buckinghamshire 294 1 24 30 10 360 
			 Bury & Rochdale 120 0 5 10 10 150 
			 Calderdale & Kirklees 199 0 0 20 20 230 
			 Cambridgeshire 248 7 4 20 30 310 
			 Camden & Islington 225 1 1 20 110 360 
			 Cornwall & Isles of Scilly 178 2 29 40 10 260 
			 County Durham & Darlington 167 0 0 10 0 180 
			 Coventry 94 0 0 10 20 120 
			 Croydon 151 0 0 10 20 180 
			 Doncaster 99 0 0 0 10 110 
			 Dorset 279 0 0 10 30 310 
			 Dudley 91 0 0 10 10 110 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith & Hounslow 352 0 6 0 20 380 
			 East Kent 210 0 5 10 20 250 
			 East Lancashire 165 0 3 20 20 210 
			 East London & The City 204 9 1 30 70 320 
			 East Riding & Hull 155 0 7 20 30 210 
			 East Surrey 199 0 0 10 0 210 
			 East Sussex, Brighton & Hove 324 0 1 20 30 370 
			 Gateshead & South Tyneside 125 0 0 10 0 140 
			 Gloucestershire 225 0 13 30 20 290 
			 Herefordshire 74 0 9 10 0 100 
			 Hertfordshire 512 0 0 20 10 550 
			 Hillingdon 104 2 0 0 0 110 
			 Isle of Wight, Portsmouth & SE Hampshire 238 0 11 30 30 310 
			 Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster 217 8 0 40 10 280 
			 Kingston & Richmond 159 0 0 10 30 190 
			 Lambeth, Southwark & Lewisham 272 0 27 20 170 490 
			 Leeds 284 0 0 10 70 360 
			 Leicestershire 282 0 1 20 30 330 
			 Lincolnshire 157 2 4 10 20 200 
			 Liverpool 154 0 11 30 60 250 
			 Manchester 171 0 2 20 130 330 
			 Merton, Sutton & Wandsworth 298 3 0 30 20 350 
			 Morecambe Bay 117 1 1 10 10 140 
			 Newcastle & North Tyneside 170 0 0 0 110 290 
			 Norfolk 284 0 4 20 40 340 
			 North & East Devon 204 0 5 10 20 230 
			 North & Mid Hampshire 206 0 0 10 20 230 
			 North Cheshire 95 0 7 20 10 130 
			 North Cumbria 107 0 1 10 10 130 
			 North Derbyshire 117 0 5 10 10 140 
			 North Essex 319 0 0 10 30 360 
			 North Nottinghamshire 120 0 0 0 10 130 
			 North Staffordshire 126 0 15 0 0 140 
			 North West Lancashire 172 0 1 10 20 200 
			 North Yorkshire 304 0 4 30 40 380 
			 Northamptonshire 171 0 0 10 20 200 
			 Northumberland 101 0 0 0 0 110 
			 Nottingham 225 0 0 10 20 250 
			 Oxfordshire 257 0 13 20 30 320 
			 Redbridge & Waltham Forest 185 0 0 10 10 200 
			 Rotherham 76 1 0 10 10 90 
			 Salford & Trafford 158 0 3 10 10 180 
			 Sandwell 93 0 2 20 0 110 
			 Sefton 96 0 5 0 30 130 
			 Sheffield 199 0 0 10 70 290 
			 Shropshire 143 0 4 20 10 180 
			 Solihull 68 0 5 10 0 80 
			 Somerset 176 1 7 10 20 210 
			 South & West Devon 254 14 10 20 40 340 
			 South Cheshire 256 0 22 20 20 310 
			 South Derbyshire 180 0 5 20 20 220 
			 South Essex 247 0 0 10 20 270 
			 South Humber 81 0 0 10 10 100 
			 South Lancashire 97 2 2 20 0 120 
			 South Staffordshire 178 0 11 10 10 220 
			 Southampton & South West Hampshire 200 0 19 40 20 280 
			 St Helens & Knowsley 104 0 8 10 10 130 
			 Stockport 119 0 0 10 10 130 
			 Suffolk 228 0 3 0 20 260 
			 Sunderland 95 0 0 10 20 120 
			 Tees 208 0 0 10 30 250 
			 Wakefield 108 0 0 10 10 120 
			 Walsall 57 0 3 10 0 70 
			 Warwickshire 170 0 6 20 10 200 
			 West Kent 367 2 0 30 30 420 
			 West Pennine 151 1 0 10 10 170 
			 West Surrey 307 0 32 30 30 400 
			 West Sussex 349 0 11 0 30 390 
			 Wigan & Bolton 182 0 0 10 10 210 
			 Wiltshire 215 4 6 30 20 280 
			 Wirral 136 0 8 10 10 160 
			 Wolverhampton 71 0 5 10 10 90 
			 Worcestershire 183 0 12 20 10 230 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The General Dental Service (GDS) figures cover principals on a HA list, assistants and vocational dental practitioners.
	2. The Personal Dental Service (PDS) covers dentists working in the PDS who are not working in the GDS.
	3. Figures by Health Authority are rounded to the nearest 10.

Waiting Lists (Leicestershire)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting lists are for operations in the Leicestershire health area in each category.

Yvette Cooper: The table below shows the waiting lists for elective admission by specialty in the Leicestershire Health Authority area as at 31 December 2001—the latest published figures that are available:
	
		
			 Specialty Ordinary admissions Day cases 
		
		
			 General surgery 1768 1605 
			 Urology 296 442 
			 Trauma/orthopaedics 1698 917 
			 ENT 1393 270 
			 Ophthalmology 717 2083 
			 Oral surgery 159 362 
			 Neurosurgery 21 1 
			 Plastic surgery 444 328 
			 Cardiothoracic surgery 320 — 
			 Paediatric surgery 49 139 
			 A&E — 30 
			 Anaesthetics 212 231 
			 Pain management 30 163 
			 General medicine 1 67 
			 Gastroenterology 0 103 
			 Cardiology 274 548 
			 Dermatology 0 18 
			 Thoracic medicine 0 6 
			 Nephrology 0 3 
			 Neurology 13 42 
			 Rheumatology 0 7 
			 Gynaecology 707 529 
			 Clinical oncology 0 383 
			 Total (all specialties) 8102 8277 
		
	
	Source:
	Hospital Waiting List Statistics: England (copies are available in House of Commons Library and on the DoH website at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/waitingtimes/).

Cystic Fibrosis

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Department has spent on research into cystic fibrosis since 1997; and which organisations the Government have met to discuss raising awareness of the disease.

Jacqui Smith: The Department funds research to support policy and the delivery of effective practice in health and social care. Since 1997 the Department's expenditure on directly commissioned research projects relating to cystic fibrosis is approximately £394 thousand.
	In addition to specific projects, the Department also provides support funding for research commissioned by charities and the research councils that takes place in the National Health Service. Management of much of the research supported by NHS research and development funding is devolved and expenditure at project level is not held centrally by the Department but the total investment is considerably greater than just the spend on directly commissioned projects.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) is the main Government agency for research into the causes of and treatments for disease and receives its funding via the Department of Trade and Industry. The MRC has spent an estimated £8.4 million on cystic fibrosis research since 1997.
	The Government met with the Cystic Fibrosis Trust in 2001. Discussions included raising awareness of the disease.

Children at Risk

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children classified as at risk have been killed in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not currently collected centrally. However, we are developing a comprehensive database of all serious case reviews, carried out in accordance with Chapter 8 of Working Together to Safeguard Children—the Government's guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, to improve the national recording of serious incidents, including deaths and serious injuries. This will enable us to identify the numbers and types of a range of serious cases, where the children concerned are known to social services Departments.

Correspondence

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letter of 5 December 2001 from the hon. Member for Fareham, concerning his constituent Mr. Fred Johnson.

Yvette Cooper: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 25 March.

Deep Vein Thrombosis

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the link between air travel and deep vein thrombosis.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 10 April 2002
	We take the health of aircraft passengers and aircrew members very seriously. Although further research needs to be carried out into the links between deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and long distance travel, blood clots can occur when people remain immobile and seated for long periods of time and therefore could occur in a range of travel situations.
	On 30 November 2001 the Department issued information and advice to the airlines and the public about minimising the risk of DVT during long journeys. This included practical advice for air passengers on long haul flights. It also identified certain groups who may be at a higher risk of DVT and advised them to seek medical advice before travelling and described simple in-seat exercises that should be recommended to all air passengers.
	To maximise access for the public to this information and advice it is available through health services, the internet, the airlines and NHS Direct and will be kept under review in the light of new research information.

Performance Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of whether the PSA target to increase the proportion of departmental business undertaken electronically to 25 per cent by 2002 will be met.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 10 April 2002
	Information about progress on PSA targets will be published in the Department's 2002 Departmental Report.

Performance Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of whether the PSA target for the payment of all undisputed invoices within 30 days or the agreed contractual terms will be met.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 10 April 2002
	Information about progress on PSA targets will be published in the Department's 2002 Departmental Report.

National Institute for Clinical Excellence

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the independence of NICE.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 10 April 2002
	It has always been our intention that the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) should have a large measure of independence from Government and from other interests while remaining visibly a part of the National Health Service. In particular, NICE decides on its own processes for developing its guidance. We have announced in our recently published response to the Kennedy report, that we intend to further strengthen NICE's independence. We will bring forward measures to remove the requirement for approval from the Secretary of State for Health and the National Assembly for Wales for disseminating NICE guidance and for appointments to NICE committees.

National Institute for Clinical Excellence

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the funding of NICE.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The Department has allocated £14.8 million for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in 2002–2003.

Entertainment Costs

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will list for each of the last five years the total amount of money spent by Ministers in his Department on food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for entertainment purposes;
	(2)  how much was spent by departmental special advisers on food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for entertainment purposes in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 10 April 2002
	Expenditure arises on hospitality and entertainment only in the context of promoting the Department's business objectives. Departmental information systems do not classify expenditure by Ministers, special advisers or other employment category, nor do information systems provide a detailed breakdown of food and drink.
	In the last five years the total amount spent by the Department on hospitality has been as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 £90,883 
			 1998–99 £67,953 
			 1999–00 £50,114 
			 2000–01 £93,091 
			 2001–02 £80,077 to 31 December 2001 
		
	
	To identify expenditure by Ministers or special advisers on food, alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks would involve disproportionate cost.

Hospices

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings he and his Ministers have had with representatives of hospices providing palliative care to children since 7 June 2001.

Yvette Cooper: Last month I was pleased to meet the management and supporters of the Richard House Children's Hospice in London, on the occasion of the launch of the New Opportunities Fund application process for funding palliative care projects in support of both children and adults. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State previously visited this hospice for its official opening. Last November my noble Friend Lord Hunt met the representatives of two other children's hospices.

Foreign Nurses (English Tests)

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will support moves by the UKCC to introduce English tests for foreign nursing recruits.

John Hutton: The UKCC was replaced on 1 April by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. It will be for the new Council to consult widely on how it proposes to exercise its functions, which include assessing the knowledge of English of overseas-qualified practitioners, other than nationals of European Economic Area States. In the meantime it will inherit existing policies and procedures, which already provide for such assessments.

Mental Health

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the use of sport in the treatment of depressive illness.

Jacqui Smith: No formal assessment has been made of the use of sport in the treatment of depressive illness. However, regular physical activity reduces the risk of depression and has positive benefits for mental health including reduced anxiety, enhanced mood and self esteem.

Mental Health

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to ensure that health and social workers dealing with children and adolescents are trained to recognise mental health problems.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The national service framework for children, which includes child and adolescent mental health and psychological well being, will consider the training and competencies of health and social care workers and the early recognition of mental health problems.
	In September 2003 we are replacing the diploma in social work with a three-year degree level qualification. The qualification will be based on a prescribed curriculum, which will include key areas which students must undertake as part of their learning and assessment. One of these will be human growth and development, which will incorporate mental health matters.

Asthma

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the (a) adult population and (b) population under 16 use (i) puffer inhalers and (ii) spacer inhalers in the treatment of asthma.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 10 April 2002
	The information requested is not collected centrally.

Broomfield Hospital, Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nurse and (b) consultant vacancies there are at Broomfield Hospital, Essex at the latest available date.

John Hutton: holding answer 10 April
	Broomfield Hospital is a hospital within Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust. Data is collected at Trust level only.
	
		Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2001 -- Vacancies in NHS Trusts by Region, HA area and NHS Trust, consultant and qualified nursing, midwifery andhealth visiting staff 3 month vacancy rates 1 , 2  an numbers
		
			  All consultants  Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 
			  3 month vacancy rates per cent 3 month vacancies Staff in post (wte) Staff in post (hc) 3 month vacancy rates per cent 3 month vacancies Staff in post (wte) Staff in post (hc) 
		
		
			 England Total 3.0 per cent 672 21,580 23,661 3.4 per cent 8,997 255,903 316,280 
			 Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust 2.1 per cent 2 100 98 2.6 per cent 21 776 1,005 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Three month vacancies are vacancies as at 31 March 2001 which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents)
	2. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post from the September 2000 medical & dental and non medical workforce censuses (whole time equivalents)
	3. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest ten
	4. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place
	5. * = figures based on less than ten posts
	6. Totals may not equal sum of component parts due to rounding
	7. HA figures are based on Trusts, and do not necessarily reflect the geographical provision of healthcare
	8. Figures may not match previously published data due to
	(i) a different method of rounding used on the staff in post data ii) NHS Trusts "mapped" into different
	(ii) NHS Trusts "mapped" into different HA Areas/Regions to be consistents with Vacancies data (as at 31 March 2001)
	Source:
	Department of Health Vacancies Survey 2001
	Department of Health non-medical workforce census 2000
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census 2000

Tobacco Advertising And Promotion Bill

Ann Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to notify the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Bill to the European Commission as a technical regulation under Directive 98/34/EC.

Yvette Cooper: We notified the Bill on 28 March 2002. The notification is without prejudice to the Government's view that the Bill does not contain any technical regulations.

Drug-resistant Micro-organisms

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what collections of drug resistant micro organisms are known to the Health Protection Agency; and what steps are being taken to maintain and support such collections.

Yvette Cooper: Currently, the National Collection of Type Cultures (NCTC) and National Collection of Pathogenic Fungi (NCPF), are comprehensive collections of pathogenic micro-organisms, including strains known to be drug resistant. Both NCTC and NCPF are maintained by the Public Health Laboratory Service in the NCTC laboratory and supported by the funding provided to the Public Health Laboratory Service by the Department of Health and the Welsh Assembly Government.
	The Chief Medical Officer's strategy, Getting Ahead of the Curve, proposes the creation of a Health Protection Agency which will take over functions currently performed by the PHLS and other bodies. We aim to establish the new agency by 1 April 2003.

Health Services (Barnet)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of waiting times at (a) Barnet and (b) Northwick Park Hospitals' accident and emergency departments; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: holding answer 25 March 2002
	Waiting times at Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trusts and North West London Hospitals NHS Trust are monitored via the NHS regional office. Information on numbers of patients waiting over 2 hours, between 2–4 hours and over 4 hours for admission is published every quarter. Latest information is available via www.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity

Scoliosis

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations for Scoliosis correction were carried out by the NHS in each of the last three years; and what plans he has to increase this number.

Hazel Blears: The numbers of Finished Consultant Episodes for patients with a primary diagnosis of scoliosis* who underwent a procedure in the National Health Service for each of the last three years are outlined in shown in the table. It is for health authorities in partnership with primary care groups/trusts and other local stakeholders to decide what services to provide for their populations including those who require operations for scoliosis. There are no plans to introduce national targets specifically for this service.
	
		NHS Hospitals in England
		
			  1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 
		
		
			 Finished Consultant Episodes 1,172 1,193 1,212 
		
	
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health, England.* ICD-10: M41.0 – M41.9 (ICD-10 refers to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (10th edition)). This is the international classification system for diseases. The codes are 4 digits (a letter followed by 3 numbers).

Retirement Health Checks

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) women and (b) men pensioners in 2000–01 broken down by regional health authority completed a free health check on retirement through the pilot scheme announced in the NHS Plan; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: None. The first pre retirement health check pilots began in 2001–2. They are focused on the health needs of people who have not yet retired, in the 50–65 age group, many still in active employment, although some retired people are also involved in them.

NHS Publications

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what publications were published by NHSplus in 2000–01; how many of each publication were printed and distributed; and what the cost was of each publication.

Yvette Cooper: There were no publications by NHS Plus in 2000–01. (NHS Plus was launched in November 2001. In 2001–2 its only publication was a "flyer" leaflet, "Bringing Good Health To Your Business", the total cost of which was £3,335 for 15,000 leaflets. Generally, NHS Plus provides information via its website (www.nhsplus.nhs.uk).

Doctors (Suspensions)

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors were on suspension at the most recent date for which figures are available.

John Hutton: As at 31 December 2001, the latest date for which figures are available, 29 hospital and community medical and dental staff had been suspended for more than six months.

NHS Procurement

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department ensured (a) that all NHS trusts set a target of at least three per cent in 2000–01 for procurement savings and (b) that delivery of these savings was monitored.

John Hutton: holding answer 25 March 2002
	All National Health Service trusts were set a target of 3 per cent purchasing savings by the Department of Health for the year 2000–01.
	These savings were monitored by National Health Service trusts and by Department of Health regional offices.

NHS Finance

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the transfer of a liability to a PCT from a health authority or trust has an impact on the level of resources available to that PCT for spending on patient care; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The level of resources available to primary care trusts for spending on patient care in year will be unaffected by the transfer of assets and liabilities.

NHS Finance

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much money by way of liabilities each PCT (a) has taken responsibility for and (b) is expected to take responsibility for; and from whom the responsibility is transferred;
	(2)  if he will list the liabilities by value of trusts and health authorities which (a) have been and (b) are to be transferred to PCTs.

John Hutton: The transfer of liabilities from health authorities and National Health Service trusts to primary care trusts in 2000–2001 is shown in the table. Information on liabilities transferring for the 2001–02 financial year will not be available until the autumn.
	
		
			 Transferring body Liabilities £000 Receiving primary care trust 
		
		
			 Cambridgeshire HA 1,706 Fenland 
			  1,190 North Peterborough 
			  795 South Peterborough 
			 Cornwall & Isles of Scilly HA 660 Carrick 
			 Doncaster HA 2,358 Doncaster Central 
			 Dorset HA 2,950 Bournemouth 
			  1,577 Poole 
			  1,558 North Dorset 
			  1,395 Poole Central and North 
			 East Lancashire HA 2,636 Blackburn with Darwen 
			 Hillingdon HA 7,870 Hillingdon 
			 Norfolk HA 2,869 West Norfolk 
			 North Staffordshire HA 2,280 North Stoke 
			 Northampton HA 1,860 Daventry and South Northamptonshire 
			 South Essex HA 3,286 Southend on Sea 
			 South Humber HA 4,002 North East Lincolnshire 
			 Southampton and South West Hampshire HA 2,292 Southampton East Healthcare 
			 Southern Derbyshire HA 1,497 Central Derby 
			 West Kent HA 3,666 Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley 
			 North Nottinghamshire HA 1,733 Mansfield District 
			  2,450 Newark and Sherwood 
			 Merton, Sutton & Wandsworth HA 2,442 Nelson and West Merton 
			 Herefordshire Community 423 Herefordshire 
			 NHS Trust   
			 Milton Keynes Community 1,642 Milton Keynes 
			 NHS Trust   
		
	
	Source:
	Health authority audited summarisation forms 2000–01
	PCT audited summarisation schedules 2000–01
	The table shows only liabilities of over £150,000.

NHS Finance

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the amount was of NHS trust deficits in each trust in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many NHS trusts have an in-year deficit position; and what is the deficit.

John Hutton: Information relating to National Health Service trust deficits for the financial years 1996–7 to 2000–01 has been placed in the Library. Changes (in line with best accounting practice) in the accounting and financial reporting arrangements for NHS trusts mean that the figures provided for 1996–97 are not directly comparable with 1997–98 or thereafter.
	We are in discussions with NHS trusts, health authorities and primary care trusts about managing their end-of-year positions. The information requested for the current year will be available when the annual audited accounts are completed and published.

NHS Finance

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the underlying deficits are (a) in each NHS trust and/or body and (b) in England.

John Hutton: The information requested for National Health Service trusts has been placed in the Library. A change in the format of the annual accounts from 2000–01 means health authorities are no longer required to account on an income and expenditure basis.

Cancer Treatment

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his assessment is of the likelihood of his new target for treatment of urgent cancers being met in Oxfordshire in 2002–03.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 25 March 2002
	The Oxfordshire health economy recognises the importance of the cancer targets in 2002–03 and will invest extra resources this year to support their achievement of targets in this area. In support of this, the Four Counties Cancer Network is working to improve cancer services to deliver better quality services to patients.